Defense Minister Yoav Galant accused Israel of having deviated from the main goal of the war. He warned this in a letter written to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hours before the latest attack in Iran. Gallant claimed that they need to refocus their attention considering the regional situation that has emerged in the past one year. Israel-based media The Times of Israel reported this news.
Gallant says Israel's goals and objectives have become 'obsolete'. They should return to the way they were before the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.
He said, there has been a significant change in the nature of war. For example, they are involved in direct conflict with Iran. Now they should develop an integrated plan taking into account the various fronts of the war and their interrelationships, and revise the aims of the war through negotiation.
The Gaza war started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year. On that day, Hamas took about 250 Israeli hostages to the Palestinian territories. Initially, therefore, the destruction of Hamas and the release of hostages were Israel's main goals in the war.
But when Iran and its proxies got involved in the war, the situation started to change. According to Israel, it is now fighting on seven fronts.
Repatriation of residents of northern Israel along the Lebanese border has also become a goal for Tel Aviv. For this purpose, they have been attacking Lebanon for a month with the intention of wiping out the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Gallant highlighted several different areas to update Israel's war aims. According to him, Israel must take steps to prevent atrocities by suppressing 'terrorism' in the West Bank. And Iran needs to be kept out of the war. In addition, Gaza should 'find a solution without any military threat, reduce the capacity of terrorism, return all hostages and campaign for an alternative to the Hamas government.'
However, Israel, determined to wipe out Hamas, refuses to consider any alternative to the Hamas government. Gallant publicly criticized Netanyahu for this policy. He said that the idea of ​​establishing Israeli rule in the Palestinian territories after the war should be abandoned.
On the other hand, the demand of the radical right is that Israeli settlements should be built in Gaza.
Gallant's demand was not well received by the government. A statement released by Netanyahu's office described the defense minister's suggestion as 'outlandish'.
The statement said, the aim of the war is right. The Cabinet regularly reviews the aims and objectives of the war and has recently increased its scope.
