Ben-Gvir’s call to ‘conquer’ Gaza exposes deepening Israeli appetite for renewed war
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is openly urging the army to “conquer the entire Gaza Strip” and return to “intense fighting,” saying he dreams of “liberating” and resettling all of Gaza. His comments signal a hardening current inside Israel’s government that could pull civilians in Gaza and southern Israel back into large-scale war.
Israel’s debate over what comes next in Gaza is turning less theoretical and more absolutist at the top of government.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he believes Israel “must conquer the entire Gaza Strip,” insisting that from “a practical standpoint, the IDF is capable of doing this within a few weeks.” He coupled that assessment with a call to “return to intense fighting.” In a separate remark, he described having “dreams of conquering — or rather, liberating — the entire Gaza Strip,” and said he dreams of Israel returning to all of Gaza “because it all belongs to us.”
These are not stray lines from a fringe figure. Ben-Gvir holds a powerful domestic security portfolio and sits in a cabinet that sets policy for the army and police. His language goes beyond calls to neutralize specific threats or secure a buffer zone; it points to open-ended military control over a densely populated enclave of more than two million Palestinians and hints at renewed Israeli settlement there.
For civilians in Gaza, already battered by years of blockade and repeated wars, such a campaign would almost certainly mean more large-scale displacement, further destruction of housing and infrastructure, and prolonged military rule. For Israelis in communities bordering the Strip, it promises more sirens, rocket launches and mobilizations as militants respond and the army pushes deeper into urban areas.
Operationally, “conquering” Gaza would require sustained ground operations through some of the most built-up terrain in the region, clearing and holding neighborhoods where militants can use tunnels, booby traps and human shields. The Israel Defense Forces have the firepower and experience to conduct such a campaign, but past operations have come with heavy costs for both soldiers and civilians.
Strategically, Ben-Gvir’s rhetoric signals to Palestinians, regional states and international mediators that influential figures in Jerusalem see Gaza not as a security problem to be managed but as territory to be claimed. That raises alarm in capitals from Amman to Cairo, where leaders fear that a major new offensive could destabilize their own streets and undermine already-strained cooperation with Israel.
It also complicates relations with the U.S. and European governments that have backed Israel’s right to self-defense while pressing for restraint and a political track. Calls from within Israel’s cabinet for outright conquest and “liberation” of Gaza make it harder for Western allies to argue that military moves are narrowly tailored responses to specific threats.
Ben-Gvir’s statements encapsulate a blunt lesson for the region: as long as influential ministers talk openly about taking Gaza “back,” any lull in fighting will look temporary to those under Israeli guns and rockets.
What matters now is whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security establishment publicly embrace, distance themselves from, or quietly accommodate Ben-Gvir’s vision. Signs to watch include new IDF operational orders relating to Gaza, any cabinet decisions hinting at long-term administrative control over parts of the Strip, and reactions from Egypt and Qatar, which often mediate between Israel and Hamas. A shift in U.S. rhetoric — for instance, explicit opposition to Israeli reoccupation of Gaza — would also show how far Ben-Gvir’s words are shaping the strategic map rather than just stirring the political base at home.
Sources
- OSINT