Gantz slams Netanyahu's Gaza policy as political failure

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English + Israeli media
16 Apr 2025 18:27

Benny Gantz criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for political failures in Gaza, saying the ongoing military campaign achieved little in retrieving captives or offering a political alternative to Hamas.

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Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz attend a news conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, 'Israel', on Oct. 28, 2023 (AP)

Benny Gantz, leader of the Israeli National Unity Party, has sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war, calling it “a massive military achievement and a resounding political failure.”

His remarks reflect growing internal dissatisfaction with the government’s conduct amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Gantz accused Netanyahu of deliberately preserving Hamas’s power by blocking the formation of a viable civilian alternative in Gaza. “For a year and a half, Netanyahu has strengthened Hamas’s rule and prevented the emergence of a civilian alternative,” Gantz stated, emphasizing the government’s failure to pair tactical operations with meaningful political strategy.

As the war rages on, criticism has intensified over the occupation government’s inability to secure the release of Israeli captives in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Maariv's military affairs correspondent Avi Ashkenazi noted that despite extensive battlefield operations and the destruction wrought across Gaza, “Israel has not succeeded in achieving the objectives of the war.” He added that the failure to retrieve 59 captives remains one of the most glaring shortcomings of the onslaught.

1,600+ Israeli ex-troops urge captive return, ending war on Gaza

In this context, Ynet reported on Monday that over 1,600 former Israeli paratroopers and infantry soldiers have signed a letter urging the government to secure a deal for the return of captives, even at the cost of ending the war.

“We, the fighters and commanders of the paratroopers and infantry units, whose flag bears the words: ‘We do not leave wounded behind on the battlefield,’ call for the return of the hostages, even at the cost of halting the fighting. This is a call to save lives," the letter said.

In mid-March, the Israeli occupation military resumed its bombing campaign against the Palestinian enclave, breaching a two-month ceasefire agreement that brought relative calm and had ensured a prisoner exchange between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance.

This letter is one of many echoing similar calls launched by IOF reservist doctors, former 8200 intelligence unit members, ex-Mossad members, navy reservists, and reservist air force personnel.