Report: IDF chief warned Israel ‘could lose’ Gaza hostages if it launches major operation

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned ministers in recent days that Israel “could lose” the hostages in Gaza if it launches a major operation in the Strip, Channel 13 news reports.

“In a plan for a full-scale maneuver, we won’t necessarily reach the hostages,” the network quotes Zamir as saying. “Keep in mind that we could lose them.”

Zamir is also quoted as saying that the war’s two goals of defeating Hamas and rescuing the hostages “are problematic in relation to each other.”

Hostages’ families have long argued this, but political leaders, including the prime minister, have insisted that military pressure will aid in reaching a deal for the hostages’ return.

Channel 13 says ministers were not swayed by Zamir’s comments, and that the military is likely to intensify its Gaza operations soon.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says in response to the report: “The chief of staff’s warning should keep every Israeli awake at night. An overwhelming majority of the nation is united around the understanding that an Israeli victory cannot be achieved without bringing the hostages home. Losing the hostages would mean an Israeli defeat. National security and social stability depend on the return of all the hostages — every last one.”