Low In Arms, Israel Wants A Truce In Gaza: Report (image@IDF)
The drift between Israel military and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, appears to widen. Top generals want to begin a ceasefire talk in Gaza, even if it will end up in keeping Hamas in power for the time being, said New York Times. Since the beginning of the war, Netanyahu has been asserting that the war would end only after defeating Hamas once and for all.
Israeli generals think that the truce would be the best way to free some 120 hostages, dead and alive, under Hamas captivity, said The Times, after interviewing six current and former security officials of Israel.
The generals also raised concern about being underequipped for further fighting, after Tel Aviv’s longest war in decades. They think their forces need time to recuperate in case a full-on land war broke out against Hezbollah.
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A truce with Hamas would also alleviate tension with Hezbollah, who has started to attack Israel since the former started to pummel Gaza with bombing on October 7th last year. The Israeli officials agreed that a truce talk with Hamas would make it easier to reach a deal with Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group has vowed that it would continue to attack northern Israel until it stops fighting in Gaza.
The General Staff Forum, which roughly constitute of 30 Israeli military leadership, including military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the commanders of the army, air force and navy, and the head of military intelligence.
Eyal Haluta, who earlier served as Israel’s national security adviser until the early last year, and who regularly speaks with senior military officials said that the military is in full support of hostage deal and ceasefire.
“They believe that they can always go back and engage Hamas militarily in the future. They understand that a pause in Gaza makes de-escalation more likely in Lebanon. And they have less munitions, less spare parts, less energy than they did before — so they also think a pause in Gaza gives us more time to prepare in case a bigger war does break out with Hezbollah”, said Haluta.
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It is not clear how directly the military leadership has expressed its view to Netanyahu, but both military and Netanyahu’s frustration were visible recently.
Notably, Netanyahu is apprehensive of a truce talk that would keep Hamas in power due to the outcome that would result in the collapse of his coalition, parts of which have said that they will quit the alliance if the war ends without seeing Hamas defeat.
Though earlier the military maintained that it was possible to simultaneously achieve the government’s two main goal, which is to defeat Hamas and rescue the hostages taken by the group on October 7th. But the military command has reached a conclusion that the two goals are mutually incompatible.
With Netanyahu’s unwillingness to commit to either occupy Gaza or transfer control to alternative Palestinian leaders, the Israeli military fears a “forever war”, in which its energies and weaponries are gradually declining even as the hostages remain under Hamas captivity.
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As per four military officials, fewer reservists are reporting for military duty. The officers are increasingly distrustful of their commanders, amid a crisis of confidence in military leadership propelled in part by its failure to prevent Hamas attack in last October, said New York Times citing five Israeli officers.
Over 300 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, and more than 4000 are wounded, including those who lose their limbs. An unknown number of soldiers are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), after the atrocities they have watched and committed in Gaza.
As per The Times report, at least some tanks in Gaza are not loaded with the full capacity of the shells that they usually carry, as the military tries to conserve its stocks in case a bigger war with Hezbollah does break out, according to two officers. Five officials and officers confirmed that the army was running low on shells. The army also lacks spare parts for its tanks, military bulldozers and armored vehicles, according to several of those officials.
