Netanyahu in hot seat, IOF 'ground down to crumbs': Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
23 Jan 2025 10:47
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A retired Major General describes the possibility of resuming combat in Gaza after the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal as "doomed to failure."

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in occupied al-Quds, December 9, 2024 (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a genuine dilemma he cannot resolve, Israeli media reported Thursday.

In an article published in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, retired Major General Itzhak Brik stated that Netanyahu is torn between fulfilling his promise to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that the war on Gaza will resume after 42 days with the release of the first 33 Israeli captives and adhering to US President Donald Trump's assertion that signing the agreement ends the war and all 94 captives, both alive and deceased, will be released.

Maariv noted that moving from the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza to the second phase would cost Netanyahu Smotrich's support. It described the Israeli premier's promise to his finance minister as evidence that remaining in power is more important to him than retrieving the captives and ensuring "Israel's" security.

The report further highlighted that sabotaging the Gaza agreement would result in a confrontation with Israeli society and possibly with the US administration.

It added that, if not for Trump's intervention, the agreement with Hamas would not have been signed, leading instead to a futile war that would claim hundreds of lives and result in the death of all Israeli captives in Gaza.

Israeli military incapable of returning to combat

In the same context, Brik argued that the Israeli military is "ground down to crumbs" and incapable of resuming combat in Gaza

Meanwhile, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement have returned to their pre-war positions, while Israeli society stands on the brink of civil war, he pointed out.

The retired Israeli major general emphasized that "Hamas maintains sovereignty in Gaza and continues to stockpile food, water, fuel, equipment, and all it needs to sustain combat in its underground warehouses."

Brik asserted that the Israeli military failed to undermine Hamas' combat capabilities, describing any claims to the contrary as mere "pipe dreams".

He explained that the Israeli military is exhausted and lacks the soldiers needed to continue fighting, as most are unwilling to be conscripted and reluctant to enter another round of combat.

Brik also described the Israeli decision to resume combat after the first phase as "doomed to failure," warning that it would result in the death and injury of hundreds of Israeli soldiers.

Such a "foolish move" could lead to "Israel's" complete isolation from the international community, particularly Washington, Brik warned.

In other words, he concluded, Netanyahu's choice of this path would plunge "Israel" into an irretrievable situation.