Member of the Israeli war cabinet, Gadi Eisenkot publicly affirmed that military pressure would not allow further releases of hostages, adding that a ceasefire agreement was the only possible path.
A member of the Israeli war cabinet said this Friday that only a ceasefire agreement can allow the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Gadi Eisenkot added that those who claim that the hostages can be freed through military pressure are deluding themselves.
The former army chief’s televised comments Thursday are the latest sign of growing disagreement between political and military leaders over the direction of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Hamas militants are putting up fierce resistance in several areas of the Gaza Strip. The conflict, now in its fourth month and showing no signs of ending, has also stoked tensions in the Middle East.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 24,400 Palestinians have died and the United Nations says a quarter of the 2.3 million people trapped in the Gaza Strip are starving. In Israel, around 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war and in which some 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas.
