Israel's military chief has pushed back against Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to seize areas of Gaza it doesn't already control, three Israeli officials said, as the prime minister faces increasing pressure over the war both at home and abroad.

The Israeli military will have to execute any government decisions on Gaza, the defence minister said after reported disagreements over the prospect of a full occupation of the Palestinian territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting at wider military action in devastated Gaza even as some former army and intelligence chiefs call for an end to the war