Eisenkot says Israel ‘obliged’ to see Gaza deal through all 3 phases, but will ‘fight until the end of Hamas’

National Unity party MK and former war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot says that Israel has an “obligation” to see the three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas through to its end, to free the remaining captives held in Gaza.

Asked by Channel 12 news if completing the deal would mean Hamas remains in control of Gaza, Eisenkot says, “This will be a long war.”

“Anyone who promises quick wars and lightning achievements of all objectives is making false promises,” he says, adding that “Israel will continue to fight until the end of Hamas in the coming years.”

He says the true “high price” of the hostage deal was paid on October 7, 2023, with the Hamas onslaught in southern Israel.

Asked if the price of the deal is “too high,” given that it allows the terror organization to regroup in Gaza and enables the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who have “blood on their hands,” Eisenkot says the real “high price tag of this deal was set on October 7, when the Israeli citizens who have been [in captivity] for a year and four months” were taken from their homes.

“Therefore, from a value point of view, and from the point of view of the ethos of the State of Israel, there is an obligation to complete all stages of the agreement,” he asserts.

Eisenkot’s son, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, and nephew Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot were both killed fighting Hamas in Gaza, within days of each other in December 2023.