From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 19, 2024
Report: Eisenkot slams war cabinet for not making strategic decisions, ‘stalling’ war advances
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War cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot reportedly sent a letter to the other members of the cabinet warning that they were failing to make operational decisions and therefore the strategic goals of the war were stalling.
A report on Channel 12 news this evening says the letter was sent a week ago, and includes a warning by Eisenkot — a former IDF chief — that “there is an increasing difficulty in achieving the goals of the war.”
Eisenkot, whose son and nephew were both killed fighting in Gaza in December, also lays out in the letter what Israel has and has not accomplished in the war so far, according to Channel 12. Things it has partially achieved include reducing Hamas’s ruling capabilities, returning the hostages, and returning security to border communities, the letter says.
Things it has not achieved are ending the war without a security threat from Gaza and strengthening the sense of personal security of Israeli citizens, according to the reported letter.
Eisenkot reportedly sets out a list of goals that need to be achieved: to reach a deal to bring back the remaining hostages before Ramadan in mid-March; to prevent an escalation in the West Bank during Ramadan; returning evacuated citizens in the north and south; advancing a civilian alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza; and moving to the “third stage” of fighting in Gaza with spot raids amid overall stability.
The Times of Israel Community.