An Israeli war cabinet member has publicly criticized the prime minister and called for a longer cease-fire with Hamas to secure the release of remaining hostages. He stated that Israel had not yet achieved its military objectives in Gaza.
General Eisenkot, a retired military chief of staff, is a nonvoting member of Israel’s war cabinet. He joined the emergency wartime government after the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct. 7.
General Eisenkot’s comments carry weight due to the personal loss he suffered in the war. His son and nephew were killed while fighting in Gaza last month.
The televised interview revealed internal tensions within the emergency government. General Eisenkot held Mr. Netanyahu responsible for the country’s failure to protect its citizens on Oct. 7.
He also emphasized the need for Israel’s leaders to define a vision for ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of hostages. He stated that only a deal with Hamas could achieve this.
General Eisenkot expressed the mission to rescue civilians as a priority over killing the enemy. He also addressed the challenges of rescuing hostages held underground in scattered locations.
He highlighted the dilemma of whether a heroic rescue mission, similar to the 1976 Entebbe raid, could be executed due to the nature of the hostage situation.
2024-01-19 07:55:25
Source from www.nytimes.com