'Israel's' fate tied to Hamas 'destruction': Ex-chief of Gaza Division

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
15 Oct 2023 17:26

The Israeli general says the occupation army must achieve a "decisive victory" that will echo in the region for the next century.

A Resistance fighter stands on a destroyed Israeli Merkava tank next to the Gaza borders on Saturday, October 7, 2023 (Social media)

The fate of the Israeli occupation entity lies in whether the army can "destroy" the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas in Gaza, the former chief of the Israeli Gaza Division said on Sunday in an interview for an Israeli media outlet.

Commenting on Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Brig. Gen. Shmuel Zakai said the "horrors and failure" of the occupation army will be thoroughly investigated after the war ends. But meanwhile, these vents must not undermine faith in "the strongest army, with the world’s most advanced equipment.”

“The essence [of what the IDF must do] is to achieve a decisive victory that will resonate for the next century in the Middle East and clarify" that no organization or army captures "Israeli territory" or kills settlers.

“The State of Israel has no right to exist if, at the end of this operation, Hamas is not destroyed,” he says, adding that a ground operation is inevitable to defeat the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza and that the October 7 operation “was a strategic event" for the Resistance.

The Israeli occupation army reported a provisional toll on Sunday, stating that operations conducted by the Resistance in Gaza have caused the death of 286 soldiers. According to the most recent updates released by the Israeli military, over 1,500 Israelis were confirmed killed and over 150 captured by the Resistance.

A wave of growing anger and frustration has spread among settlers residing in the Gaza Envelope settlements and the families of Israeli captives.

On Saturday, family members of several Israelis captured by the Palestinian Resistance held an angry protest outside the Israeli Security Ministry in "Tel Aviv" and blocked "Kaplan Street".

The protesters expressed outrage at the performance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking, "Where is the army? Where is Netanyahu's son, is he in Miami?," declaring that the current movement is just the beginning.

In a separate protest, family members of captive Israelis warned that if their sons and daughters are not returned, they "will shake Israel to its core if necessary," emphasizing that they "will not accept leaving them in Gaza."

On the southern front, Zakai claimed that Hezbollah - through its operations targeting Israeli occupation bases - is aiming to distract the IOF's focus from Gaza, warning that this must not happen.

Earlier today, Hezbollah carried out two separate operations targeting Israeli occupation bases in settlements adjacent to the Lebanese borders. The Israeli military admitted that the operations led to one death and several injuries.

Israeli media revealed that this is the fifth Israeli killed by Hezbollah in under a week. On Saturday, the Lebanese Resistance announced targeting five Israeli occupation military sites in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms. Precise impacts were recorded.

Thousands of settlers signed a petition demanding the government to work on concluding a prisoner exchange deal that leads to the return of Israelis from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners in return.