Israeli official warns that “absolute defeat” of Hamas is IMPOSSIBLE

A member of Israel’s war cabinet has warned that the “absolute defeat” of Hamas in the Gaza Strip is an impossible objective to attain.

Gadi Eisenkot, former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), issued this warning in a televised interview. “Today, the situation already in the Gaza Strip is such that the goals of the war have not yet been achieved. That is why we should not tell stories,” he said.

“The goals of the war have not yet been achieved, but the [number of soldiers on the ground] is now more limited. You have to think about what’s next. It needs to be said, bravely, that … it’s not possible to return the hostages alive in the near term without a deal.”

According to Eisenkot, Tel Aviv was about to strike the Lebanon-based Hezbollah on Oct. 11. However, he and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz convinced Israeli officials to hold off. “I think our presence there prevented Israel from making a grave strategic mistake,” Eisenkot said of the instance.

Eisenkot’s remarks put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has reiterated his determination to “bring complete victory” over Hamas in response to the group’s Oct. 7 attack. The prime minister reportedly rejected the idea of holding elections during the war. However, Netanyahu’s government has been criticized for not having a “post-war” plan for the Gaza Strip. (Related: Only 15% of Israelis want Netanyahu to remain prime minister after the war.)

The member of Israel’s war cabinet also expressed his disappointment toward Netanyahu, without naming the prime minister. “I am already at the stage and at an age where I do not trust this or that leader with my eyes closed, and I judge a man by his decisions and the way he leads the country,” Eisenkot commented.

War in Gaza has “no purpose and no future”

Meanwhile, an anonymous person participating in Israeli war cabinet meetings told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the current war in Gaza had “no purpose and no future.” The person added that prolonging the war is Netanyahu’s way of “postponing engagement with the question of responsibility.”

“In every meeting, he emphasizes that the war will continue for a long time until its two goals – the collapse of Hamas and the return of the hostages – are achieved,” said the source. “In terms of experience and intelligence, he surpasses everyone there. [But] in my opinion, he knows there is a reasonable chance that the goals will not be reached and is simply stalling for time.”

The source further claimed that Netanyahu had no interest in the hostages still under Hamas custody, based on the little time he gave to the topic during meetings. Thus, they looked at Israeli protests calling for the hostages’ return as a good sign since.

But this makes it unlikely that a new prisoner swap deal involving Oct. 7 hostages and Palestinian security prisoners. Doing so would anger members of the Netanyahu government such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a notorious far-right politician, and risk a potential government collapse.

“This is also why [Netanyahu] flees from the necessary discussion about ‘the day after,'” added the source. “More than 100 days have gone by, and he has dedicated about half an hour to the most burning issue.”

Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more similar stories.

Watch this video of protesters in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv calling for an end to the war in Gaza.

This video is from the allthewordsastage channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net

Brighteon.com