Israel can both destroy Hamas and get the hostages home, according to Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi.
“Israel has three clear goals: to eradicate Hamas, to bring back the hostages, and to create a different reality in Gaza,” Avivi recently explained.
He said that the Cabinet approved “decisive” plans for the complete destruction of Hamas and to bring the hostages home.
“It's crystal clear you cannot bring back the hostages without serious military pressure,” Avivi said. “So, these two goals connect well—the plan to conquer big parts of Gaza at the first stage, and then the whole Gaza Strip, and to bring back the hostages.”
He said that in the first stage, the IDF went in to attack the leadership of Hamas and eradicated most Hamas leaders. Now, the IDF is also targeting more operatives and their commanders. However, Hamas rebuilds as the IDF destroys. Therefore, the IDF must dismantle the entire terror infrastructure, which puts pressure on Hamas.
“Israel wants a deal. We want to get the hostages before we go in and destroy Hamas,” Avivi said. “We agreed to a reality where Hamas would lay down its weapons and get out of Gaza. That's also a solution that we have talked about from day one.”
Watch the full interview:
GAZA WAR: DAY 590
(ILTV)
