Israeli leaders' shouting match exposes sharp divides over Gaza deal

• But it also showed the deep disagreement between Netanyahu and the vast majority of Israel's defense establishment and intelligence community about what Israel's strategy in Gaza should be almost a year after the Oct. 7 attacks.

Driving the news: The cabinet meeting took place amid ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas — mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt — on a deal to release hostages held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

• Gallant presented at the cabinet meeting the case for moving forward toward a deal as soon as possible, Israeli officials said.
• The officials said the defense minister said the deal is not merely about the release of the hostages, but it is also a "strategic juncture" for Israel.
• If the Israeli government chooses the path the leads to a deal, it could decrease regional tensions with Iran and Hezbollah and allow Israel Defense Forces to regroup, rearm, rethink its strategy and shift its focus from Gaza to other regional threats, Gallant said.
• But if Israel chooses not to go for a deal, it would leave the IDF bogged down in Gaza while exacerbating tensions across the Middle East that could lead to a regional war while the IDF's focus is elsewhere.

Inside the room: During the discussion, Netanyahu briefed the cabinet ministers on where the negotiations stand.

• One of the issues he talked about was his demand that the IDF stays fully deployed along the Philadelphi corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border during the implementation of the hostage and ceasefire deal. Hamas and Egypt are opposed to this demand.
• Netanyahu showed the cabinet ministers the maps of the IDF deployment along the Egypt-Gaza border and said they were drawn by the IDF and endorsed by the Biden administration, officials said.
• The officials said Gallant then interjected and accused Netanyahu of forcing the maps on the IDF, despite the fact that the military's position is it can mitigate the risks of withdrawing forces from the area in order to reach a hostage deal.

Netanyahu got mad, banged his hand on the table, accused Gallant of lying and announced he was bringing the maps to a cabinet vote on the spot, according to the prime minister's aides.

• Gallant responded with a sharp attack of his own. "As the prime minister you are authorized to bring to a vote any decision you want — including executing the hostages," the defense minister told Netanyahu, according to one of Gallant's aides.
• Gallant told the ministers that passing the resolution would give Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar more leverage in the negotiations.
• "We have to choose between Philadelphi and the hostages. We can't have both. If we vote, we might find out that either the hostages will die or we will have to backtrack to release them," Gallant said, according to one of his aides.
• In the vote that followed, Gallant found himself isolated. Netanyahu and seven other ministers voted in favor of maintaining full military control over the Philadelphi corridor. Gallant was the only one who voted against the resolution, officials said.

What to watch: Gallant's aides say he has no intention of resigning at the moment. But the episode could push Netanyahu to again consider the possibility of firing him as he did in 2023.

• The clash between Netanyahu and Gallant is also likely to make the Biden administration's efforts to reach a deal much more complicated.