By Charlotte Greenfield and Alexander Cornwell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Eyal Zamir, the Israeli armed forces chief of staff arguing against a full takeover of Gaza, is the latest in a long line of generals to tussle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Zamir fears endangering the lives of remaining hostages and miring an exhausted military in Gaza, he told Netanyahu during a stormy meeting on Tuesday, though he is expected to seize the last areas of the besieged territory if ordered to do so.

Speaking on Thursday as Netanyahu's war cabinet prepared to meet, Zamir defended his right to speak out on the military's behalf, calling the culture of debate "an inseparable part of the history of the Jewish people".

But he also said the military now had the ability to establish a new security reality along the border. "Our intention is to defeat Hamas and continue to operate with our hostages at the forefront of our minds," he said.

His hard image looks very different to Palestinians. They already knew Zamir for suppressing Gaza unrest in 2018 when more than 150 people were killed. Now they see him as the architect of utter devastation in the territory.

TIGHTROPE ACT

He has a difficult line to walk.

"The challenge that stands in front of him right now, promoting a doctrine or policy that he really........

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