Israeli war cabinet member Gadi Eisenkot criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war on Gaza, suggesting that talks of complete victory over the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas are unrealistic.
In an interview with Channel 12 on Thursday, former Israeli army’s Chief of Staff Eisenkot said that “Whoever speaks of (Hamas’) absolute defeat is not speaking the truth,” Eisenkot said in the interview.
“That is why we should not tell stories… Today, the situation already in the Gaza Strip is such that the goals of the war have not yet been achieved,” Eisenkot added.
The interview aired hours after Netanyahu vowed to “bring complete victory” over Hamas, rejecting the idea of holding elections during the war.
Eisenkot also said that the Israeli prime minister is to blame for the October 7 failures, referring to the military operation carried out in southern Israel by Hamas.
According to Eisenkot, alleged failures in the chain of command “does not absolve (Netanyahu) of responsibility”.
“You have to show leadership in the ability to tell the truth to people, the ability to chart a path,” he said, criticizing Netanyahu’s refusal to discuss post-war scenarios in Gaza.
“The goals of the war have not yet been achieved, but the (number of soldiers on the ground in Gaza) is now more limited… You have to think about what’s next,” he reportedly added.
According to Eisenkot, elections should be held soon.
“It is necessary, within a period of months, to (…) hold elections in order to renew trust because right now there is no trust,” he said.
For Eisenkot, the priority should be returning the Israeli captives and prisoners of war who are currently held in Gaza.
Israeli war cabinet member Gadi Eisenkot. (Photo: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, via Wikimedia Commons)
Source: The Palestine Chronicle
