Hagari says hostages’ rescue is ‘central war goal,’ drawing ire of senior official
Accuser believed to be PM says IDF spokesman acted ‘in complete contradiction’ to political echelon’s orders by failing to list other war goals in briefing; he did cite them, though
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari faced criticism on Sunday from an anonymous senior official within the government who accused him of acting contrary to the political echelon’s directives, after he said that Israel was committed to the “central war goal” of recovering the hostages from Gaza, and failed to list the other goals alongside his mention of the hostages.
During a press briefing on Sunday evening that focused mainly on the early-morning preemptive strikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, Hagari turned his attention to the war in Gaza, and the fight against the Hamas terror group.
“We continue to be committed to one central war goal — the recovery of the 109 hostages,” he said. “We will continue to make every effort to realize this.”
He further added that the IDF was continuing to battle terror operatives in the Gaza Strip and was “exerting very heavy pressure on Hamas, to eliminate its senior officials and destroy their terrorist infrastructure.”
Following the press conference, the anonymous government official declared in a statement that Hagari’s decision to “only mention one war goal — while ignoring the rest of the war goals — is in complete contradiction to the specification and directives of the political echelon.”
The anonymous official was reported in Hebrew media to be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has issued statements in the past attributed to an unnamed senior official.
“The goals of the war were and are the return of our hostages, the destruction of the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, the promise that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” the official added.
In response to the criticism, Hagari posted a 45-second clip from the press briefing on X, in which he was asked about whether the use of military pressure could force Hamas into agreeing to a hostage release-ceasefire deal.
בהצהרתי הערב אמרתי כי "אנחנו ממשיכים להיות מחויבים למטרת מלחמה אחת, מרכזית, השבת החטופים".
מיותר לציין כי השבת החטופים היא מטרה נעלה, אך היא לא מטרת המלחמה היחידה. באותה מסיבת עיתונאים התייחסתי בדברי גם להשמדת הזרוע הצבאית של חמאס, גם היא אחת ממטרות הלחימה. וידאו מצ"ב.
צה״ל… pic.twitter.com/6rdK1O8i32
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) August 25, 2024
In the footage, Hagari is seen saying in response that the “IDF’s goal is to bring Hamas to its lowest point. I can tell you now, that Hamas is at an extremely low point. That’s our role.”
Further clarifying his statement on X, the IDF spokesman said that “it goes without saying that the return of the hostages is a noble goal, but it is not the only goal of the war.
“At the same press conference, I also referred to the destruction of the military wing of Hamas, which is also one of the goals of the fighting,” he said, referring to the attached segment of his press briefing. “The IDF works day and night to achieve the goals of the war — all of them.”
As the primary focus of Hagari’s briefing was the escalation between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group, the spokesman had also referred to the need to return the residents of northern Israel to their homes in safety, saying that the IDF has “plans to restore security in the north and we are determined to implement them.”
The war in Gaza erupted with the October 7 terror assault carried out by Hamas in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were seized as hostages.
Israel in response launched an aerial offensive and ground operation in the Gaza Strip, vowing to return the hostages and dismantle the Hamas terror group, which has ruled Gaza since 2006.
Of the 251 hostages seized on October 7, 105 are believed to still remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Seven hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 30 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
The terror group is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
