Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of not telling the truth about the main military goal of defeating Hamas by a member of the country's war cabinet.
Former army commander Gadi Eisenkot, whose son was killed in action GazaHe also questioned the hostage release strategy and said there was “no confidence” in the current leadership, stressing the need to hold new elections.
His frank statements in a television interview reveal deep divisions within the government regarding how to deal with the crisis Israel-Hamas warWhich has now entered its fourth month.
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The conflict broke out due to the sudden attack from before agitation The militants are on October 7Which resulted in the killing of about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and the holding of about 250 others as hostages.
The massacre led to a deadly Israeli attack that devastated the besieged area and killed nearly 25,000 people, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
Mr. Netanyahu He said that the military campaign would continue until “complete victory” over Hamas was achieved.
But Eisenkot said in an interview with Israeli Channel 12 news: “Those who say that there was a major strike and destruction of capabilities in the northern Gaza Strip are telling the truth.
“Whoever talks about absolute defeat and the absence of will and ability is not telling the truth. Therefore, there is no need to tell long stories.”
He also dismissed concerns about holding elections while the country was at war.
He said: “The public’s lack of confidence in its government is no less dangerous than the lack of unity during war.
“We need to go to the polls and hold elections in the next few months in order to renew confidence where there is currently no confidence,” he said.
He added: “The State of Israel is a democratic state and it must ask itself, after this dangerous event, how can we move forward with leadership responsible for such a miserable failure?”
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In addition, Mr. Eisenkot said that the remaining prisoners held by Hamas “will not return alive unless there is an agreement linked to a major truce in the fighting.”
He added that claiming that they could be liberated by these means “is tantamount to spreading illusions.”
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The ministerial dispute comes amid tensions with the United States, Israel's closest ally.
While Washington has provided strong military and political support for the campaign, it has increasingly called on Israel to scale back its offensive and take steps toward establishing a post-war Palestinian state — a suggestion Netanyahu has said. Strongly refused.
The Israeli leader reiterated his long-standing opposition to a two-state solution, saying a Palestinian state would become a launching pad for attacks on Israel.
City police Anthony Blinken He said this was the best way to protect Israel, unite moderate Arab countries, and isolate Israel's arch enemy, Iran.
He said that without a path to a Palestinian state, Israel would not “have real security.”
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Meanwhile, commentators have begun to question whether Netanyahu's goals are realistic, given the slow pace of the attack and mounting international criticism, including charges of genocide at the UN World Court, which Israel vehemently denies.
Opinion polls also show that the popularity of Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, declined during the war.
The war has threatened to escalate into a broader conflict across the Middle East, with fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Yemen Continuing to target international shipping despite US-led air strikes.
