Israel Abandoning Captives To Hunt Hamas Leaders, Say Military Officers

Officers tell MEE the war has become personal for Netanyahu, who is planning a long-term presence in Gaza 'partially approved' by the US

Israel has abandoned its goals of freeing the captives in Gaza, instead seeking to establish a long-term presence with its Rafah ground offensive and pursue top Palestinian leaders, Israeli military officers have told Middle East Eye.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, three officers, one of whom is serving in Gaza, questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy in the ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed at least 34,800 Palestinians and failed to return captives taken by Hamas on 7 October.

One officer told MEE the government’s aims were unclear and the objective of rescuing captives and destroying Hamas had “collapsed”.

“Netanyahu's operations in Gaza are fundamentally aimed at ... hunting down Yahya Sinwar,” said the officer in Gaza, adding that the war had become “personal” for the Israeli premier.

Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in the enclave, is Israel’s number one target and has not been seen in public since the war began.

The officer told MEE that Israel’s military had become “obsessed” with Sinwar and the upper echelons of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

Last month, a Hamas official said Sinwar had visited combat zones above the ground and held deliberations with the group's leadership abroad.

Speaking to the pan-Arab news outlet Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed (or The New Arab), the Hamas official said Sinwar was not always staying in tunnels, as claimed by Israel, but also performing his duties in the field. MEE could not independently verify the reports on his whereabouts.

The military officer in Gaza said that conducting special operations targeting high-ranking individuals in a densely populated area risked making the conflict “perpetual”, and would be impossible without Israeli casualties and subsequent "retaliations" by the army.

“The army and intelligence are unable to make the right decisions in this respect,” one source said.

An officer not currently serving in Gaza said a “new phase” of the war was being planned involving a long-term military presence through special operations.

“This plan has been partially approved by the US,” the officer told MEE. “It's all part of a plan agreed upon by the two countries for a Hamas-free Gaza.”...

Captives 'No Longer of Concern' ...[Were they ever?]

“A few hostages might be exchanged. However, hostages are no longer of concern to anyone,” the source said.

Israel estimates that 128 of around 250 captives taken to Gaza during Hamas's surprise attack on Israel in October remain there, including 35 who the military says are dead. Hamas says at least 70 captives have been killed in Israeli air strikes.

Protests in Israel led by the families of captives have called on the government to end the war on Gaza and bring their loved ones home.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ Middle East Eye

Related: 5/8 — 💥Israel Police Officers Beating up the Families of Israeli Hostages Held by Hamas in Gaza.

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4/6 — Israel Ignored Deal to ‘Free All Civilians’ From Gaza Soon After 7 Oct: Qatar

4/4 — Shin Bet Threatens Israeli Protesters After Violent Clashes

4/1 — Israel Attempts to Pressure Netanyahu as Thousands Gather for the Largest Protest Since War Began

3/30 — Thousands of Israelis Rally in Tel Aviv, Call for Deal to Free Captives

3/24 — Yesterday: Israeli Hostage Families Urge Joe Biden To Push Netanyahu To Agree Ceasefire

3/23 — Chaos erupts in Tel Aviv during large anti-Netanyahu protests, calling for an exchange deal and the return of Israeli prisoners in Gaza

3/4 — Israel Boycotts Hostage Deal Talks in Cairo

2/27 — Yesterday, anti-Netanyahu & anti-war protests rocked Tel Aviv in a way they haven’t since before October 7th. Hostage families & many others came out to stand up to the government

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