I guess that's why he doesn't want any media -- no witnesses allowed
PM says weighing plan for siege on Hamas in north Gaza; believes half of
hostages alive
During closed-door meeting with lawmakers, Netanyahu argues putting
pressure on Hezbollah could help force Hamas’s Sinwar to the table, predicts
ICC arrest warrants coming soon
By SAM SOKOL FOLLOW
Today
FILE — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks at the Knesset Foreign
Affairs and Defense Committee, June 3, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
FILE — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) speaks at the Knesset Foreign
Affairs and Defense Committee, June 3, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers on Monday that he is
weighing the so-called generals’ plan to lay siege to northern Gaza, promoted
by a group of senior IDF reservists.
Speaking to members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,
the prime minister also said that “according to the information we have, half of
the [97 remaining] hostages in Gaza are alive,” a committee member said.
His statements would indicate that around 50 hostages could be dead. The IDF
has only confirmed the deaths of 33 of those still in Gaza.
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At the closed-door session, Netanyahu indicated that the plan for a siege on
remaining Hamas forces is one of several being examined and which will be
brought to the cabinet for further discussion in the coming days.
Presenting the scheme to the committee last week, retired Maj. Gen. Giora
Eiland argued that the plan, which is not backed by the United States, would
“change the reality” on the ground in Gaza.
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“We have to tell the residents of north Gaza that they have one week to
evacuate the territory, which then becomes a military zone, [a zone] in which
every figure is a target and, most importantly, no supplies enter this territory.
Eiland argued that a siege is not only an effective military tactic but is also
compliant with international law. “What matters to [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar
is land and dignity, and with this maneuver, you take away both land and
dignity,” he said.
Eiland has been critical of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, telling The Times
of Israel last week that as long as Hamas retains control over the distribution of
food and fuel, it will be able to replenish its coffers and recruit new fighters.
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“You can’t win a war while this is the situation in Gaza,” he said. “The slogan
that ‘only military pressure will bring victory’ has no basis whatsoever. The wars
of the 21st century are based on something else. The most important
parameter is the population, and those who can control the population win the
war.”
Major General (ret.) Giora Eiland, former IDF planning and operations chief and
ex-head of the National Security Council. (Courtesy)
Netanyahu told the committee that controlling the distribution of humanitarian
aid is key to winning in Gaza and that efforts to enlist local tribes had failed. As
such, he said enacting a military regime to run affairs in the territory may be
necessary for now, even if it is not his goal.
Likud MK Amit Halevi, a member of the committee, welcomed the Eiland plan,
saying that it marked “the right direction” for Israeli policy in Gaza.
“In order to defeat Hamas we must control the land and the population. There is
no other way to victory,” he told The Times of Israel, arguing that unless
Hamas’s civil control is eliminated, the terror group will be able to continue to
recruit new fighters.
Such an approach is also “the only chance for a hostage deal” because it will
put additional pressure on Sinwar to come to the table and make concessions,
he argued.
“If he has food for years and the international pressure is on Israel, why does he
need to make a deal?” Halevi said.
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According to sources familiar with Sunday’s discussion, Netanyahu declined to
address New Hope MK Gideon Sa’ar’s announcement Saturday that he had
declined the prime minister’s offer to take over the role of defense minister,
replacing Yoav Gallant.
In a statement on Saturday evening, the chairman of the hawkish opposition
party said he could not take up the position amid the significant escalation of
fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon — although he argued that
despite critics’ claims, he was qualified for the job.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks to Israeli Air Force personnel at the
Ramat David Airbase in northern Israel, September 18, 2024. (Ariel Heremoni/
Defense Ministry)
Netanyahu predicted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) was likely to
soon issue arrest warrants for Gallant and him.
Earlier this month, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan called on the court to issue
arrest warrants he requested in May for Netanyahu, Gallant and leaders of
Hamas “with utmost urgency.”
Khan is a “political guided missile,” Netanyahu told lawmakers.
He also denied standing in the way of a Gaza hostage deal, insisting that
Hamas is the intransigent party, having demanded 29 revisions to a proposed
ceasefire outline, while asserting that Israel had accepted all the conditions laid
out by American mediators.
Netanyahu has been widely reported to have added new conditions to those
proposed by the Americans, including Israel holding on the Gaza-Egypt border
in the first stage of a ceasefire and hostage deal. But US officials have also
indicated that Hamas demands remain a major stumbling block to an
agreement.
According to Hebrew media reports, the prime minister slammed “fake reports”
that he was responsible for preventing an agreement and said that Hamas does
not currently want a ceasefire deal — arguing that putting pressure on
Hezbollah in the north could help force Sinwar to the table.
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Netanyahu’s remarks at the Knesset came only hours after he released a video
statement vowing that the Hezbollah would “get the message” after a series of
dramatic operations against the Iran-backed terror group in recent days.
First responders and security forces gather amid debris and charred vehicles in
Kiryat Bialik in the Haifa district, following a rocket attack by the Lebanon-
based Hezbollah terror group on September 22, 2024 (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Hezbollah expanded its range of rocket attacks in the early hours of Sunday to
hit the greater Haifa area and the Jezreel Valley, putting some two million
Israelis in range of its strikes.
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that some 150 rockets, cruise missiles,
and drones had been fired and launched at Israel since Saturday evening.
Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz said he’d asked Netanyahu during the hearing to
define the link between operations in Israel’s north and Gaza — and requested
to know when the hostages would be returned and the residents of the north
able to go back to their homes.
“The prime minister did not answer this question,” he stated.
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