IDF commanders tell NYT that defeating Hamas and rescuing hostages are incompatible goals

According to a report published in the New York Times on Saturday, several anonymous IDF officials claim that Israel's two main war goals – destroying Hamas and rescuing the hostages – are incompatible. 

The four IDF commanders spoke anonymously, as their roles in the IDF do not allow them to express their personal opinions publicly. 

In the report, the commanders claimed that the government’s goal of destroying Hamas will likely lead to the death of the hostages. 

The report also claimed that the IDF is behind its initial goals for its operation in the Gaza Strip. 

The IDF reportedly first planned to have operational control over Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, Khan Younis, and the Rafah border crossing by the end of December. 

This milestone has not been achieved. While the IDF claimed operational control over Gaza City in early January, fighting still continues in Khan Younis, and the IDF has not yet attempted to seize control of the Rafah area, partially because it is an evacuation zone for internally displaced Gazan citizens. 

The complex situation caused by the extensive tunnel system has further complicated the goal of freeing the hostages, said Andreas Krieg from the School of Security Studies at King’s College London. 

“It’s not an environment where you can free hostages,” Krieg told the NYT. 

“If you go into the tunnels and you try to free them with special forces, or whatever, you will kill them,” Krieg stated. “You either will kill them directly – or indirectly, in booby traps or in a firefight.” 

Last week, the IDF announced that the tunnel system in the Gaza Strip is more extensive than previously thought. It now estimates that the Hamas tunnel network runs about 750 km (450 miles), which makes it larger than the London Metro. 

The IDF officers also said the gains in northern Gaza are in danger due to the partial withdrawal of troops from that area. 

Hamas terrorists have begun attempting to recapture territory in the northern Gaza Strip, around Gaza City, since the IDF announced the beginning of the “third phase.” 

However, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari disputed this assessment in his press briefing on Saturday evening. When asked by a reporter from the religious news site Srugim, about the NYT report, Hagari responded:  “I can represent the IDF’s stance, as the official IDF spokesman. There are goals for this war, that were decided by the cabinet, just goals, complex goals. Of course, there is sometimes complexity between the two goals. Our job is to solve that complexity and operate in such a way that we will bring about the best conditions for the captives. That is the job of the IDF and our job.”