A leaked transcript of an Israeli cabinet meeting has revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected proposals to extend a ceasefire with Hamas and instead implemented a policy of cutting off all aid to Gaza as a strategy of war, a decision that has deepened famine in the besieged territory and left thousands dead.
The minutes, dated March 1 and published Wednesday by Israel’s Channel 13, detail internal deliberations over whether to move to the second phase of a January–March 2025 ceasefire agreement. That phase would have initiated talks on permanently ending the war and could have secured the release of remaining Israeli captives.
According to the leak, top military and intelligence officials urged the cabinet to advance to phase two, while Netanyahu and his closest allies argued against it. The prime minister opted instead to break the ceasefire, “force Hamas to surrender,” and maintain a complete blockade on humanitarian aid.
Major General Nitzan Alon, the Israeli army official in charge of prisoners and missing persons, reportedly told the cabinet that “the only opportunity to release the captives is to discuss the conditions of phase two.” Ronen Bar, chief of the Israeli internal intelligence agency Shin Bet, said his “preferred option is to move forward with phase two,” adding that Israel could “easily” return to war later. “Let’s get everyone back first, then resume the fight,” he reportedly said.
A senior Israeli security official also told ministers that “it is possible to secure the release of more captives, but that requires engaging in talks about phase two — ending the war.” Despite this advice, Netanyahu refused. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer backed him, saying Israel was “not prepared to end the war while Hamas remains in power.” Dermer was later named head of the negotiating team in the ceasefire talks.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, another hardline ally, lashed out at military and intelligence officials, accusing them of “misleading the public” into thinking Israel could “stop the war and return to it later,” which he called “ignorance.” Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed openness to a partial deal, stating, “If Hamas returns even a number of hostages — less than half — that’s excellent.”
The March 1 meeting came as the first phase of the ceasefire was set to expire. Contrary to cabinet expectations, Hamas had complied with the talks, according to the leaked minutes. Strategic Affairs Minister Dermer reportedly noted that the cabinet “thought the talks would explode once we entered them — and that didn’t happen.”
Seventeen days later, on March 18, Israel broke the ceasefire with a wave of bombings across Gaza, killing 400 Palestinians — mostly civilians — in the first minutes of the assault. The government also announced the complete closure of all crossing points, halting the entry of goods and humanitarian aid.
The blockade rapidly worsened Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. United Nations agencies have classified the situation as famine, and UNICEF has called the deaths of Palestinian children due to starvation “unconscionable.” The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 160 Palestinians, including 90 children, have died from malnutrition, with some figures placing the toll at 197 dead, including 96 children.
In late July, the world’s leading hunger monitoring system warned that the “worst-case scenario of famine” was unfolding due to the siege. The Israeli-imposed blockade has prevented UN agencies from operating in Gaza since April, with aid distribution transferred in May to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli-backed, U.S.-run body. Palestinians seeking assistance must travel to four distribution centers in southern Gaza, which have been described as “death traps” that use aid as “bait” to lure civilians into range of Israeli forces.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 1,561 people have been killed at GHF sites or while waiting for aid trucks in the north. Witnesses and humanitarian groups have documented repeated incidents in which Israeli forces opened fire on aid seekers.
The Hostages Families Forum called the revelations “damning,” accusing the government of having “knowingly and deliberately sabotaged” captive exchange deals and “led the public astray.”
Public opinion inside Israel appears largely unmoved by the famine reports. A recent poll found that the majority of Israelis are not troubled by accounts of starvation and suffering in Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the vast majority of them civilians, women, and children. Alongside the bombing campaign, the siege has destroyed health infrastructure, blocked essential food and medicine, and left entire neighborhoods uninhabitable.
The leaked cabinet minutes provide rare insight into the decision-making behind these policies. They indicate that starvation, aid restriction, and the breaking of the ceasefire were not unintended consequences of war, but deliberate strategies endorsed at the highest levels of the Israeli government.
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