Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against Hamas

2024-01-19 16:20:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against

Divisions are emerging among senior Israeli officials over how to handle the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Gadi Eisenkot, one of four members of the war cabinet, cast doubt on the strategy for the hostage release, a stance that comes as Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected calls from the United States to reduce the intensity of military operations.

" Only a ceasefire agreement can secure the release of the dozens of hostages still held by Islamist militants in Gaza, and claims that they can be freed by other means are simply an 'illusion,'" former army chief Gadi Eisenkot said in the statement. his first public appearance as the war continues.

Mr Eisenkot's comments on Thursday evening were the latest signs of disagreements between political and military leaders over the direction of Israel's offensive against Hamas, which is now in its fourth month.

Israel struck Gaza prompted by Hamas' unprecedented terrorist attack on October 7, during which around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 240 others were taken hostage. The Israeli response in the region with a population of 2.3 million has destroyed most of Gaza. Israeli authorities say more than 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza, and not all are believed to be alive.

Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against

During the Israeli offensive, one of the bloodiest and most destructive military campaigns in recent decades, some 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities, while more than 80 percent of the territory's population has been displaced.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza announced on Friday that 142 people were killed and 278 others wounded the previous day. The total number of injured has reached over 62 thousand.

Israel has cut off almost all supplies to the Gaza Strip including food, water and fuel. Every day only a small part enters the territory, compared to the pre-war volume of about 500 trucks. Both the United States and the United Nations have called for more aid to the region.

Likewise, communication in the region has been disrupted, entering its seventh day on Friday, the longest interruption since the beginning of the war. The lack of communication hinders coordination for the distribution of aid as well as efforts to rescue the injured.

The United States, Israel's closest ally, has provided strong military and political support for the offensive, but is increasingly calling on Israel to tone down the intensity and take steps toward creating a Palestinian state after the war - suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly rejected it.

Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against

During a nationally televised news conference on Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu reiterated his early opposition to a two-state solution. He said a Palestinian state would serve as a base for launching attacks on Israel.

Israel "must have control over the security of the entire territory west of the Jordan River," Mr. Netanyahu said.

The United States has said the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which governs the semi-autonomous areas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, should be reorganized and returned to Gaza. In 2007, Hamas ousted the Palestinian Authority from power in Gaza.

Washington has also called for steps towards the creation of a Palestinian state. The Palestinians want their future state to include the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against

Speaking Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Secretary of State Blinken said the two-state solution is the best way to protect Israel, unite moderate Arab countries and isolate Israel's main enemy, Iran. . He said that without a path to a Palestinian state, Israel cannot have "real security."

At the same conference, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the kingdom was ready to establish full relations with Israel as part of a larger political deal. "But that can only happen through peace for the Palestinians, through a Palestinian state," he said.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority, said Thursday evening that there can be no "security and stability in the region" without a Palestinian state.

Mr Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have said the fighting will continue until Hamas is destroyed and argued that only military action can secure the release of the hostages.

Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against

Hamas wants an end to the war before discussing the release of the hostages. Likewise, the militant group has demanded in return the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Experts have questioned whether Mr. Netanyahu's goals are realistic, given the slow pace of the offensive and growing international criticism, including genocide charges at the United Nations World Court, which Israel vehemently denies.

Mr Netanyahu's opponents accuse him of delaying discussions on post-war scenarios as a way to avoid possible investigations into government failures, to keep the coalition intact and to postpone elections. Polls show the popularity of Mr. Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, has fallen during the war.

Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against

mr. Eisenkot, whose son was killed in December in Gaza, told the investigative program Uvda that aired Thursday night on Israeli television station Channel 12 that "the hostages would only be returned alive if there was an agreement, for a significant pause in the fighting". He said major rescue operations were unlikely to free them, as the hostages were apparently scattered and many in underground tunnels.

The claim that the hostages could be freed by means other than a deal "is an illusion," he said.

In an indirect criticism of Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Eisenkot said that strategic decisions about the direction of the war should be made urgently and that discussions about how to get out of it should have started immediately when the war started.

He also rejected suggestions that the army has dealt a decisive blow to Hamas.

mr. Gallant said the troops had disabled the Hamas command structure in northern Gaza, from where a significant number of troops were withdrawn earlier this week. Attention is now focused on the southern half of the territory.

" We have not yet marked a strategic achievement, or rather only partially ," said Mr. Eisenkot. " We have not destroyed Hamas ".

The militant group continues to fight across Gaza, even in the region's most devastated areas, and has fired rockets at Israel.

Disagreement among senior Israeli officials over the strategy of the war against

In his interview, Mr. Eisenkot also confirmed that during the first days of the war, a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was called off at the last minute. He said he was among those arguing against such an attack at a cabinet meeting on October 11, which he described as quite tense.

Such an attack would have been a "strategic mistake" and likely triggered a regional war, Mr. Eisenkot said.

The former army chief said he was considering whether or not he should remain in the war cabinet, which includes Mr Netanyahu, Mr Gallant and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, on a daily basis. mr. Eisenkot is a member of parliament of the National Unity opposition alliance headed by Mr. Gantz. Both joined Mr. Netanyahu to help lead the war.

" I know what my red line is ," Mr. Eisenkot said when asked at what point he would leave. " It is related to the hostages, this is one of the objectives, but it is also related to the way we should lead this war ", he added.

The war has spread across the Middle East, with Iranian-backed groups attacking American and Israeli targets. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon risks turning into a full-scale war. Similarly, the Iran-backed Yemen-based Houthi group, which was recently re-designated a terrorist organization by Washington, continues to attack international shipping despite US-led airstrikes.

On Thursday, the United States carried out a fifth attack against the Houthi rebels, even as President Joe Biden admitted that the bombing of the militants has not yet stopped their attacks on ships in the important Red Sea corridor. / VOA