Several members of Israel’s Security Cabinet, who spoke with The Jerusalem Post following last night’s decision to launch an operation to capture Gaza City, acknowledged that the plan is unlikely to lead to Hamas's defeat or the return of the hostages. “This plan may be better than what Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir proposed, but it is still far from being a good plan,” said the ministers.
The plan approved last night includes the capture of Gaza City. In the first stage, Israel will attempt to evacuate the city’s one million residents to the south before beginning the military operation. Several Israeli officials admitted in conversations with the Post that the plan is essentially intended to pressure Hamas into agreeing to a deal.
Sources close to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized the decision, admitting that the proposal led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved by the Cabinet might sound promising but is, in reality, more of the same.
“This is not an operation to take control of the entire Gaza Strip, establish full military control, and achieve decisive victory - the only way to ensure long-term security and the return of the hostages,” said those close to Smotrich. “Instead, it’s a limited and dangerous operation aimed solely at bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table - an objective that is not a legitimate goal of war.” (Read More)
