1/8/2025–|Last updated: 1/8/202501:28 AM (Mecca time)
Natan Eshel, former director of the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called for “annihilation without fighting” to encircle Gaza by resorting to a siege of the Strip and forcing the Palestinians to remain in inspection areas or starve to death, considering that continuing the war “causes heavy losses in the lives of soldiers in vain.”
This came in statements written by Eshel in a group that includes those close to him via the WhatsApp application, and were reported – Tuesday – by several Israeli media outlets, including the private Channel 12 and the newspapers Yedioth Ahronoth, Maariv, and Israel Today.
In 2010, Eshel served as director of Netanyahu’s office and was known to be close to him, but in 2012, he was forced to resign from his position due to allegations of sexual misconduct against a female employee in the office, but since then he has had great influence in Israeli politics from the shadows, according to the Times of Israel newspaper. .
On Saturday, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Eshel was the reason for pushing extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to apologize to Netanyahu, against the backdrop of his breach of “coalition discipline” and failure to vote on one of the 2025 budget laws last week.
Eshel’s solution
The Israeli media quoted Eshel as saying, “The continuation of the war is reaping heavy losses in soldiers’ lives and injuries, without achieving significant results in the return of the kidnapped or in security achievements,” as he put it.
He added: “Therefore, there is no logic in continuing the war in the Gaza Strip, and therefore it must stop immediately.”
Presenting what he considered a solution to end the war, Eshel said, “Since we are encircling the Gaza Strip from all sides, the only solution is a blockade, so that aid and food materials are not brought in, and at the same time allowing a controlled exit to an area where Israel can set up checkpoints for everyone.” He wants to live.”
He added: “Whoever does not want to live and does not go out in an organized and controlled manner will either die from an Israeli army soldier’s bullet or die of hunger.” He claimed that this is “the only way to resolve all wars in the world throughout history.”
He added, “The administration of (US President Joe) Biden did not want a complete resolution in Gaza, but rather continued its ability to manipulate us, so we can actually prepare and announce that this is a siege, which is what Israel will do in two weeks, when the Trump administration enters the White House. It is something Good for Israel.”
Since October 7, 2023, the number of deaths in the occupation army has risen to 828 officers and soldiers, including 393 in the ground battles that began in the Gaza Strip on the 27th of the same month, according to army data.
Tel Aviv holds more than 10,300 Palestinians in its prisons, while it estimates there are 100 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas announced the killing of dozens of its prisoners in random Israeli raids.
With the continuation of the genocide and the pressure of international courts, the political and military circles in Israel do not stop trying to find a way out that will keep them from suffering more losses in the Gaza Strip.
Among the latest of these attempts, Giora Eiland, the architect of what is known as the Israeli generals’ plan that calls for besieging northern Gaza and displacing the Palestinians from it, considered – on Tuesday – that the path to ending Hamas’ rule in the Gaza Strip is not through a military solution, saying: “With the exception of dozens of soldiers who will die every year.” Under military rule, you will not achieve anything.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza that left about 155,000 Palestinians martyred and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and the elderly, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.
Tel Aviv continues its massacres, ignoring two arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, last November 21, against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinians in Gaza.