Israeli war cabinet minister Eisenkot dismisses prospects for total Hamas elimination

Former IDF Chief of Staff and current war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot dismissed the Israeli government’s officially stated goals of completely defeating the terror organization Hamas and rescuing all the hostages as unrealistic.

“Whoever speaks of absolute defeat is not speaking the truth,” Eisenkot told Israel's Channel 12 news.

“That is why we should not tell stories… Today, the situation already in the Gaza Strip is such that the goals of the war have not yet been achieved,” he emphasized.

Eisenkot’s public statement is considered to be a barely veiled criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly vowed to eliminate the Hamas terror organization and bring home all the hostages being held in captivity in Gaza.

Netanyahu recently visited the Nevatim Air Force Base and, once again, pledged that the war in Gaza would continue until Hamas leaders, operatives and infrastructure were eliminated and all hostages released.

“The war continues and it will continue until the end, until we complete all our goals: The return of the abductees; the elimination of Hamas; and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. Let there be no mistake; we will persist in the fight on land, at sea, and in the air until complete victory,” the Israeli premier stated.

Israel Defense Forces has noted impressive tactical achievements in Gaza by eliminating more than 9,000 Hamas terrorists, including several senior Hamas commanders since ground operations began in October.

This number excludes the approximately 1,000 terrorists who were killed by Israeli forces inside Israel after the Hamas-led October 7 invasion of southern border communities. In addition, the IDF has largely secured control over the northern half of Gaza, with only isolated pockets of Hamas resistance remaining.

However, the IDF has so far not eliminated the most senior Hamas terror leaders in Gaza, in particular Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif. The terror organization is believed to still have thousands of operatives in the southern part of the coastal enclave, especially in the Hamas strongholds of Khan Younis and Rafah, which is near the Egyptian border.

Eisenkot is also pessimistic about the prospects for an Israeli Entebbe-style rescue operation of the remaining Israel hostages in Gaza. In 1976, Israeli special forces succeeded in rescuing some 100 Israeli and Jewish hostages who were held by Arab and German terrorists at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

While the operation was largely successful, Netanyahu’s older brother Yoni Netanyahu,who led the rescue operation, was fatally wounded during the battle with the terrorists and Ugandan soldiers who guarded the site.

The hostage situation in Gaza is notably much more complex as the hostages are likely spread out and being held in underground tunnels that are difficult for IDF troops to reach.

IDF soldier Ori Megidish is, to date, the only Israeli hostage that the Jewish state has succeeded in rescuing from Hamas inside Gaza.

Eisenkot has, therefore, called for freeing the hostages via a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

“It needs to be said, bravely, that…it’s not possible to return the hostages, alive, in the near term, without a deal,” Eisenkot stated, criticizing  “anyone who is trying to sell fantasies to the public.”

While Eisenkot is a political rival of Netanyahu, he is at the same time a former IDF general with a solid military background and experience. In December, Eisenkot’s son, Master Sergeant Gal Eisenkot, was killed during battles with Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Just days later, Eisenkot's nephew, Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, fell in battle.