Official says Hagari acted against government directives by saying return of hostages is ‘central war goal’ without listing others

An unnamed Israeli official slams IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari following a press conference earlier this evening, in which he said that the military was “committed to one central war goal, the recovery of 109 hostages, and will continue to act in all efforts to realize this.”

In response, the official says that Hagari’s decision to “mention only 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 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 adds.