A high-ranking Israeli defense official stated on Monday that President Trump’s upcoming Middle East visit presents a crucial “window of opportunity” to finalize a hostage agreement. Failing that, Israel is prepared to launch a significant military operation in the Gaza Strip.
According to a report, the official warned that “Operation ‘Gideon Chariots’ will commence with considerable force and persist until all objectives are met” if a hostage deal isn’t reached. This statement references the Israeli security cabinet’s decision on Sunday to escalate operations within Gaza.
Israel intends to utilize the approximate 10-day timeframe to prepare for these renewed operations, which will involve mobilizing tens of thousands of reserve troops with the aim of securing complete control over the Gaza Strip.
In an apparent strategy to counter Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces reportedly plan to maintain a presence in captured areas instead of withdrawing after operations. There’s no publicly available plan outlining how long Israel intends to occupy these Palestinian territories, a move that would contravene U.N.-brokered agreements and internationally recognized borders.
A representative for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement criticizing the cabinet’s approved plan to occupy and maintain a presence in Gaza, suggesting it should be called the “Smotrich-Netanyahu plan,” accusing it of sacrificing the hostages and Israel’s security and national resilience.
The forum’s statement argued that this plan signals the government’s choice of territory over the release of hostages, highlighting that recent polls indicate over 70% of Israelis prioritize hostage release over military action.
Trump’s planned trip to the Middle East, including visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates between May 13 and 16, marks his first international trip since returning to the White House, underscoring the region’s importance to the U.S.
While still geopolitically significant, his actual first international trip was to Italy for Pope Francis’s funeral, where he engaged in discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Neither the White House nor the State Department have yet responded to Fox News Digital’s queries regarding Israel’s increasingly assertive stance and its implications.
Recent comments from Netanyahu reportedly disrupted ceasefire negotiations after he acknowledged, for the first time, that securing the release of hostages taken by Hamas approximately 580 days ago on Oct. 7, 2023, was not his foremost priority.
“We have many objectives, many goals in this war. We want to bring back all of our hostages,” Netanyahu stated. “That is a very important goal. In war, there is a supreme objective. And that supreme objective is victory over our enemies. And that is what we will achieve.”
On Saturday, the Israeli prime minister also defended the intensified operations in Gaza, which, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, have resulted in over 50,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip, including thousands of children as of late-March, as “a war between civilization and barbarism.”
Qatar, a key player in hostage negotiations, responded via social media on Saturday, stating that Netanyahu’s comments “fall short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility.”
Majed Al Ansari, advisor to Qatar Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Thani and spokesman for the foreign ministry, stated that “Portraying the ongoing aggression against Gaza as a defense of ‘civilization’ echoes the rhetoric of regimes throughout history that have used false narratives to justify crimes against innocent civilians.”
Ansari did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.
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