Tel Aviv – Ma’an – Colonel in the Israeli occupation reserve, Michal Milstein, confirmed that the head of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, “has not changed, nor has he changed his positions, nor has the recent military operations in Rafah affected him.”
In an interview with the Israeli Channel 12, Milstein said, ‘There are two crucial matters regarding Sinwar. The first is the issue of the return of residents from the south, and the second is the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, while all other matters can be negotiated.’
He added, “Al-Sinwar did not change in the wake of the military operations in Rafah. Rather, he remained committed to the central goal, which is survival, and saying that Hamas remained steadfast after the end of the war.”
In this context, the former head of Aman, Aharon Zeevi Farkash, told Channel 12 that ‘no final goal has been determined for this war eight months after its outbreak,’ indicating that ‘the army cannot work without knowing its final goal.’ .
He
added, ‘All of these things lead Israel to this deterioration in the system of comprehensive relations, including political and military ones,’ adding: ‘We are at a critical point in this regard, because of what is happening around us, and also because of what is happening vis-à-vis Hezbollah, which has influence.’ How we end the war.”
He added, “We should have announced the end of the intense battle in the Gaza Strip, and that we have other goals. We have not forgotten what is happening to us in the north.”
Former Knesset member, Ofer Shelah, stated that the problem with the Rafah battle is that it ‘does not advance Israel in anything toward the goals of the war, eliminating the security threat against it from the Gaza Strip, and returning the prisoners.’
Earlier, the American newspaper “The New York Times” reported that Sinwar’s survival, after about 8 months, is a symbol of the failure of the Israeli war.
The newspaper reported, “Even as Israeli officials sought to kill him, they were forced to negotia
te with him, even indirectly.”
“war of attrition”
Earlier, the head of the Israeli National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, confirmed that ‘Israel’ had not achieved any of the goals of its war on Gaza.
Hanegbi gave a briefing to the Israeli Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, telling members of the Knesset: ‘We did not achieve any of the strategic goals of the war, as there are no conditions for a prisoner deal, we did not overthrow Hamas, and we did not enable the residents of the enclave to return to their homes safely.’
A few days ago, Major General in the Israeli occupation army reserve, Yitzhak Brik, confirmed that what is happening in Gaza at the present time is a ‘war of attrition,’ warning that prolonging it ‘will lead to the collapse of the army and the economy in Israel.’
Brik acknowledged the inability of the Israeli ‘army’ to defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip, noting that the Strip ‘represents one arena out of six.’
These statements come amid growing doubts about the goals of the ongoing
Israeli war on Gaza, with the Israeli occupation forces returning to the old battlefields in the Strip.
Source: Maan News Agency