Is Israel on the brink of a bold strategic move—or a perilous misstep—in its push for a renewed and deeper military occupation of Gaza? The answer depends on whom you ask.
According to former Ambassador Mark Regev, the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have no other choice.
“It was widely reported that Netanyahu put a withdrawal as part of the [hostage-for-ceasefire] negotiations,” Regev said Tuesday on ILTV Insider. “He wanted the negotiations through [U.S. Special Envoy Steve] Witkoff to succeed. It was widely reported that he put on the table a proposal, a map for Israel to withdraw, and it wasn't acceptable to Hamas. Then he put another map, and then he put a third map on the table. It was clear to me that the government was willing to go the extra mile to get that deal.”
When Hamas shut the door, Regev said, there was no choice left but to increase military pressure.
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But former MK Mossi Raz sees it differently. He argues that Netanyahu has no real plan.
“Netanyahu has been saying for the last two years that every move is the last move to win Hamas,” Raz contended. “It did not happen in the past, and most likely it will not happen now.”
Raz said the government wants to secure a deal for the hostages’ return—but at what price? In his view, such a deal would require a full withdrawal from Gaza, the release of terror prisoners, and an end to the war.
“The government doesn't agree to that,” Raz said. “Therefore, there is no Hamas agreement.”
He warned that the current plan to extend control over Gaza is “dangerous for the hostages, dangerous for the soldiers, dangerous for the Gazans who suffer too, and certainly dangerous diplomatically.”
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