Senior Minister Admits: "The Hostages Will Be in Danger but There's No Choice"

Minister Micky Zohar was interviewed today (Tuesday) on Channel 12 News where he addressed the statement from Prime Minister Netanyahu's office that the die has been cast and Israel is moving toward conquering the Strip.

In his remarks, he admitted that during the expansion of activity in Gaza "the hostages will be in danger. Their situation won't be simple, I know this isn't easy."

"There's no choice left but to defeat Hamas," Zohar explained. "For two years we tried to achieve another deal. For two years we didn't reach the decisive stage because we did everything to bring back hostages. Hamas refuses another deal."

He further added: "We must decide the story in the Gaza Strip, and this is through conquering the Strip," he described. He addressed the war objectives - returning the hostages and toppling Hamas rule - and said: "The objectives are equally important. There's no other choice but defeating Hamas quickly and decisively."

The Prime Minister will convene the cabinet this Thursday to decide the options regarding military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to multiple sources from his office, Netanyahu prefers the option of fully occupying the Gaza Strip, even at the expense of risking the hostages' lives and further burdening the army.

According to those sources, the decision to move towards full occupation came after the release of Hamas hostage videos showing at least two of them in a skeletal and emaciated state, implying that there is no more time to spend on negotiations which do not appear to have made any progress.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has consistently opposed the plan but said he would carry out the orders of the government once given.