Ex-Israeli intel chief: 'Israel' must accept defeat, or no captives

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
21 Jan 2024 15:47
2 Shares

The former head of the Israeli "National Security" Council says victory in Gaza is farfetched in light of the current unrealistic war objectives.

Retired IOF Gen. Giora Eiland speaks to officers before holding a press briefing at the Israeli Security Ministry in "Tel Aviv", Occupied Palestine, Monday, July 12, 2010. (AP)

The former head of the Israeli "National Security" Council, Giora Eiland, affirmed that the retrieval of Israeli captives is not feasible within the frame of the unrealistic objectives that "Israel" has set for the ground invasion.

In an interview with the Israeli radio Reshet Bet, Eiland acknowledged the difficulty of achieving victory in the war, "as long as there are weapons and ammunition in Gaza, as long as Hamas remains, and as long as there are enough young people ready to fight to the death."

He explained that "Israel" now stands before a harsh crossroads: Either the captives do not return, or to announce formally and practically, the decision to abandon the elimination of Hamas, "with all the ensuing repercussions."

'Israel' failed to achieve any of its goals in the Gaza Strip: NYT

The Israeli occupation's military rejected claims made by The New York Times on Saturday, contradicting its own assessment that the situation in Gaza is, in fact, worse than initially expected.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that doubts have been raised by the occupation military's high command regarding the feasibility of their objectives in Gaza, particularly in light of the limited progress in their proclaimed objective of "uprooting" Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

According to the report, "Israel" was unable to meet its goals of occupying large areas of the Gaza Strip and has had to settle for less than it had originally planned, which raised concerns among some commanders regarding the effectiveness of the Israeli war cabinet's strategy.

The slow pace of the operation has led to private expressions of frustration among some Israeli commanders, according to NYT. The report suggests that some commanders are contemplating prioritizing the retrieval of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance, at the cost of backing away from the political command's goal of "dismantling" the Palestinian Resistance.