Israel’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has urged the Israeli government to adopt the Witkoff framework for securing the release of hostages in Gaza rather than pursue a full military takeover of Gaza City, three senior sources told Fox News Digital.
The Witkoff framework, as described by officials familiar with the negotiations, calls for a 60-day Israeli withdrawal in exchange for the release of 10 live hostages and 15 bodies, with a provision allowing Israel to resume military operations if Hamas violates the deal. Sources said Zamir has argued a ground maneuver now risks further harm to hostages — citing the Tel Sultan operation in Rafah in 2024, when several hostages were killed as Israeli forces closed in.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that Israel’s aim is not to occupy Gaza but to remove Hamas from power and that seizing Gaza City is necessary to secure the release of roughly 48 hostages still believed to be held in the territory. But sources familiar with cabinet deliberations told Fox News Digital that Zamir and the Mossad director opposed the timing of a recent strike in Doha on Hamas leadership, saying the action risked undermining progress in negotiations.
A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office told Fox News Digital that the Israeli cabinet "decided to move forward with the operation plan presented by the chief of staff himself." Officials who spoke to Fox argued Zamir has repeatedly emphasized — in the Security Cabinet and the Foreign Affairs and Defense subcommittee — that military pressure had brought Hamas back to the Witkoff framework and that a negotiated pause would better protect hostages and allow for planning a post-conflict political solution.
Some officials described the Tel Sultan incident as a turning point in Israeli planning. During that operation, Hamas executed six hostages, including an American-Israeli, as Israeli forces closed in, highlighting the risks that sources say drove Zamir’s caution. One former senior IDF official told Fox News Digital that "the chief of staff is standing by his professional judgment, based on the experience of this war" and that the IDF could continue fighting after a deal if necessary.
A separate report in Politico quoted a source close to Israel’s national security team saying the Doha strike may have been timed in a way that hindered negotiations. "Every time they’re making progress, it seems like he [Netanyahu] bombs someone," the source told Politico. Officials who spoke to Fox News Digital said both the chief of staff and the Mossad chief opposed the timing of the Qatar operation, arguing there was no compelling reason to strike at that particular moment rather than wait for Hamas’s response in talks.
The dispute underscores tensions inside Israel’s leadership over next steps in Gaza: whether to press a large-scale ground operation aimed at dismantling Hamas’s control of urban centers, or to prioritize negotiated exchanges tied to a temporary withdrawal and longer-term political arrangements. Officials said Zamir has repeatedly conveyed that the Witkoff terms should be accepted now and that Washington should take note of the military’s position as presented to the cabinet.
In a separate development in the United Kingdom, plans to increase security at former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire were approved by South Ayrshire Council after a review with Police Scotland. The Daily Mail reported that Turnberry managers proposed installing gates at several access points, including the hotel entrance, the clubhouse and the parking entrance to the resort’s lighthouse, following vandalism in March 2025.
That vandalism allegedly included a dug-up green, the words "Gaza is not for sale" painted on a green and red paint daubed on buildings and walls. Turnberry and Police Scotland worked with an architect to draw up gate designs, and the council’s decision requires the gates to be fitted within three years. Some gates are planned to remain open around the clock but would be locked in the event of a security alert, while others would be locked overnight.
Turnberry managers told the council the measures were intended to reduce the risk of "malicious damage or vehicles being on the property overnight." The resort was purchased by Trump in 2014; he resigned as a director after his 2017 election but retained a financial interest through a family-run trust. Several people were arrested over the alleged March vandalism, and the resort said it had worked with Police Scotland in assessing vulnerabilities.
Both developments come amid broader international fallout from the Gaza conflict, which has prompted diplomatic efforts, domestic debate in Israel over military strategy and security concerns at civilian sites abroad. Israeli leaders continue to weigh military options against diplomatic avenues with the stated aim of recovering hostages while shaping the territory’s future control.
Efrat Lachter, a war correspondent and investigative reporter, was among those who reported on the Israeli deliberations in Fox News Digital coverage. The Turnberry plans were detailed in reporting by the Daily Mail.