As of: January 22, 2024, 2:11 p.m
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
Comments
Press
Split
In the war with Hamas, Israel finds itself in a difficult position and will probably have to focus on one of the two main goals.
Tel Aviv - In the war in Israel, 136 hostages are still in the hands of the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Their liberation is considered one of the two main goals of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
The other goal is the destruction of Hamas, for which the military offensive in the Gaza Strip must be continued.
Doubts are now beginning to arise in the Israeli military about the compatibility of these goals.
War in Israel: War goals cause dilemma for the Israeli military
Four high-ranking Israeli commanders who spoke anonymously to the US newspaper
New York Times
are certain: the freedom of the hostages can only be achieved through diplomatic and not military means.
The goals set by the Netanyahu government are not “compatible” with each other, the commanders said.
They therefore fear that an extensive and long military operation to wipe out Hamas could cost the lives of the hostages.
Israeli soldiers take position during a ground operation.
© Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
The Israeli government is divided over how to rescue the hostages.
Right-wing extremist ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are in favor of continuing the ground offensive.
They say that the hostages can only be saved with military pressure.
A position that Prime Minister Netanyahu also seems to largely hold.
So far he has opposed a ceasefire or an interruption of the offensive.
But former Chief of General Staff and War Cabinet Minister Gadi Eisenkot has a different opinion.
He recently said that it was an “illusion” that the hostages could be rescued using military means.
The war goals have not yet been achieved in Gaza, he criticized and added: “For me there is no dilemma here, the mission is to save civilians rather than kill the enemy.”
Hostages' lives in danger: Israeli commanders demand diplomatic solution
Within the Israeli military, the quandary is causing frustration with the government and its indecision, the
New York Times
reported, citing commanders.
Netanyahu's avoidance of talking about a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip is at least partly to blame for the military's hopeless situation on the battlefield.
My news
When Hayali repeats her Aiwanger question on ZDF about demos against the right, Söder closes down
Russia's “elite troops” apparently refuse to read Putin's Ukraine strategy
“If word gets around”: Turkish community warns of consequences of naturalization reforms
New survey hammer: Wagenknecht party swallows the traffic lights in the east
Russian soldiers describe the desolate situation at the front – “Moral fatigue is increasing every day” read
34 percent in the East: Map shows how strong the AfD is in your federal state
Israeli Chief of General Staff Herzi Halewi recently warned in a similar way of an “erosion” of previous achievements if there was finally no concrete plan for the post-war period.
The commanders stressed that a diplomatic deal with Hamas is the best way to bring the hostages safely to Israel.
“Basically it's a dilemma,” said war expert Andreas Krieg from King's College in London.
The Hamas tunnels are not an environment where the hostages can be rescued.
“If you go into the tunnels and try to rescue the hostages with special forces, you kill them,” he told the
New York Times
.
“Either you kill them directly, or they die from the explosive traps or in combat,” said the expert.
It's a war because you can't win.
“No chance”: Hamas does not want to release hostages until the war ends
In any case, Hamas is demanding a diplomatic deal that includes an end to the Israeli ground offensive.
Only then will the hostages be released.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu contradicted this on Sunday (January 21).
“I refuse to surrender to the monsters of Hamas,” he said.
The answer came from high-ranking Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri.
Without an end to the ground offensive, there is “no chance of the Israeli prisoners returning.”
Meanwhile, pressure on Netanyahu from the families of the hostages is growing.
They have been protesting in Tel Aviv for days, including in front of the prime minister's house, and are demanding a diplomatic deal with Hamas.
“Returning 136 hostages in body bags can never be considered a victory,” said Jon Polin, father of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.