Captives op. does not change 'Israel's' strategy crisis: INSS expert
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Tamir Hayman has stated that the retrieval of four captives does not obstruct "Israel's" non-existent strategy on all war fronts.
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Tamir Hayman in an interview (Screengrab)
The Director of the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies and the former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Tamir Hayman, said the operation to retrieve four of the captives from Gaza was "a tactical success" but did not change the strategy crisis and disappointment "Israel" was facing.
In an interview with Israeli Channel 12, Hayman said "Israel" was still at risk of being politically isolated and abandoned by countries that had been supporting Tel Aviv.
He also stressed that the situation at the northern front against Hezbollah was complicated, as "Israel" does not have a de-escalation strategy because escalation in the north is directly linked to escalation in the south [Gaza].
"If the situation in the south continues, then we don't know what would happen in the north," he told Channel 12.
He also said Hamas was rebuilding its strength while "Israel" struggled to find what he described as 'an opposing civilian alternative'.
The fear of punishment looms
Channel 12 also discussed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement saying captive retrieval operations would all be approached similarly [referring to the Nuseirat operation]. The reporter asked if, by his statement, Netanyahu aimed to support the families of the captives.
The channel's correspondent, however, said that Netanyhu's statement "disgusted the captives' families."
"It could be said that today was a complicated day for the families of the captives. Besides total happiness, which also came from discovering that not all captives were held in tunnels, there was also fear of the consequences of the operation against their loved ones and their fate," she said.
She revealed that several families, whose relatives were killed while in captivity, pleaded with Netanyahu in a letter to push for a ceasefire agreement.
According to Channel 12, there are a total of 120 captives in Gaza, 77 are presumed alive, while the remaining 43 are corpses in captivity.
'Israel' returns some, kills some
Earlier today, the military spokesperson of the Hamas Resistance movement, Abu Obeida, affirmed on Saturday that the Israeli occupation's massacre in the Nuseirat refugee camp was a "complex war crime that harmed its captives first."
In a statement, Abu Obeida revealed that "The enemy was able to retrieve some of the captives by committing a horrifying massacre, but killed a few others in the process."
He stressed that the operation "will pose a grave danger to the enemy's captives, and will negatively impact their circumstances and lives."
Moreover, in a statement, Hamas highlighted that it was still holding a large number of captives, noting that it could increase its yield of captives, just like it did during the latest operation in the Jabalia refugee camp in late May.
