Retired Israeli General Itzhak Brik said if the Israeli forces “continue fighting in Gaza by raiding and re-raiding the same targets, not only we won’t bring Hamas to collapse, but we will collapse ourselves”.
In an opinion piece published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, titled, “It Is Not Hamas That Is Collapsing, but iIsrael,” Brik said every day, Israeli forces in Gaza grow weaker while Hamas, “in contrast, has already replenished its ranks with 17- and 18-year-olds”.
Brik also noted many Israeli reservists are “no longer consenting” to being “redrafted again and again” and “conscripted soldiers are exhausted and are losing professional skills for lack of training”.
“Some argue that withdrawing army forces from Gaza after signing a hostage deal with Hamas would be the same as being defeated and surrendering…but this claim is grounded in a fundamental misunderstanding of what is taking place in the Gaza Strip.
It is fueled by clichés spread by the political and military echelons to justify their actions and gain public support and legitimacy to continue a failed war… it is those very same people declaring that a cessation of hostilities means our defeat and surrender who are bringing the military closer to collapse and the state to its downfall,” he added.
“Israel’s economy, international relations and social cohesiveness are severely damaged by this war of attrition against both Hamas and Hezbollah,” he said, adding the Israeli military “does not have enough forces to fight a multi-front war”.