The Israeli Chief of Staff: The military operation in Gaza has failed and there is no alternative to Hamas!

The Israeli Chief of Staff dropped a bombshell statements, as he said that the Israeli government insists on not finding an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, in addition to the impossibility of achieving the war’s objectives without making radical changes, the severe shortage in the ranks of soldiers, and the failure of the conscription law for the Haredim.

In his recent discussions with the political leadership, Eyal Zamir said, “Under the current arrangement of forces, which reflects a significant shortage of manpower in the army, it will be extremely difficult to achieve a significant portion of the goals set by the government members for the army”.

According to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Zamir warned in recent discussions with the political leadership that if the perception does not change significantly, and the army continues to rely solely on its fighters without developing an organized plan for the day after Hamas, Israel will find itself in a state of continued chaos in the Gaza Strip without being able to achieve the war’s objectives, most notably the destruction of Hamas, which continues to control the Strip, both civilly and militarily, even a year and a half after the war began.

For a month, the Israeli military has been implementing a plan to seize control of limited parts of Gaza to expand the buffer zone, in an attempt to pressure Hamas to release a limited number of hostages or improve the terms of a deal, amid a clear retreat from the original war goals.

However, according to Israeli military sources, Zamir aspires to defeat Hamas militarily in a large-scale ground operation, using methods slightly different from those attempted before the ceasefire, such as encircling and establishing checkpoints for residents, gradually.

However, a full and renewed occupation of the Gaza Strip, according to military estimates, would take several months, perhaps even years, and would require the redeployment of tens of thousands of soldiers, many of them in the reserves.

According to the Israeli military sources, “As for Hamas, it won’t be defeated again… It will continue to control most of the Gaza Strip and will continue its recovery process… Contrary to what the Israeli army initially expected, Hamas isn’t launching attacks, ambushes, or even mortar shells against the army deployed deep within the buffer zone on the border between Khan Yunis and Rafah”.

In this regard, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper adds, Hamas is continuing its strategic policy since the beginning of the maneuver: maintaining its capabilities, even if it is struck.

According to Israeli intelligence, approximately 20,000 of its military personnel are still active, including some of its leaders, and field commanders.