A member of Israel’s war cabinet has exposed deep internal rifts, criticising the prime minister and urging a longer ceasefire with Hamas to free the remaining hostages while saying bluntly that Israel had yet to fully realise its military objectives in Gaza. “We didn’t topple Hamas,” Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said in an interview broadcast Thursday.
Only a ceasefire deal can win the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza, and claims they could be freed by other means was spreading “illusions, General Eisenkot, a retired military chief of staff, said.He is a non-voting member of Israel’s five-person war cabinet, which has been making many of the most important decisions related to combat in Gaza. He joined Israel’s emergency wartime government, led by PM Netanyahu, from an opposition faction after the Hamas attack on Oct 7. His views carry additional weight because of the personal price he has paid in the war: His 25-year-old son was killed while fighting in Gaza, as was a nephew.
General Eisenkot also confirmed that a preemptive strike against Lebanon’s Hezbollah was called off at the last minute during the early days of the war. He said he was among those arguing against such a strike in an Oct 11 meeting that he said left him hoarse from shouting. Such an attack would have been a “strategic mistake” and would likely have triggered a regional war, he said. The prospect of Israel engaging in a two-front war has long deeply concerned US. He also spoke about shaken public confidence in government and urged a new election “within months”.
Only a ceasefire deal can win the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza, and claims they could be freed by other means was spreading “illusions, General Eisenkot, a retired military chief of staff, said.He is a non-voting member of Israel’s five-person war cabinet, which has been making many of the most important decisions related to combat in Gaza. He joined Israel’s emergency wartime government, led by PM Netanyahu, from an opposition faction after the Hamas attack on Oct 7. His views carry additional weight because of the personal price he has paid in the war: His 25-year-old son was killed while fighting in Gaza, as was a nephew.
General Eisenkot also confirmed that a preemptive strike against Lebanon’s Hezbollah was called off at the last minute during the early days of the war. He said he was among those arguing against such a strike in an Oct 11 meeting that he said left him hoarse from shouting. Such an attack would have been a “strategic mistake” and would likely have triggered a regional war, he said. The prospect of Israel engaging in a two-front war has long deeply concerned US. He also spoke about shaken public confidence in government and urged a new election “within months”.