Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant openly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slamming the ‘absolute victory’ claim as ‘gibberish’, Israeli media reported.
During a Knesset committee discussion on Israel’s response to ongoing cross-border tensions with Hezbollah, Gallant said “I hear all the heroes with the war drums, the ‘absolute victory’ and this gibberish,” the Times of Israel reported on Monday.
Gallant reportedly explained that current conditions for war in Lebanon are different from those at the start of the war last October.
Likud MK Tally Gotliv quickly defended Netanyahu, calling for Gallant’s dismissal and later posting on social media urging the prime minister to fire his defense minister, the Times of Israel noted.
Shortly afterward, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement titled, “Gallant is bound by ‘absolute victory,’ too.”
The statement criticized Gallant for allegedly adopting an anti-Israel narrative and warned that such remarks could undermine efforts to secure a prisoner exchange deal.
The statement reaffirmed Netanyahu’s commitment to achieving “absolute victory,” which involves eliminating Hamas’s military and governance capabilities
Despite the tension, reports in Hebrew media indicate that Netanyahu is not considering firing Gallant, according to the Times of Israel.
‘Far from Victory’
Gallant’s remarks come after dozens of Israeli reserve officers said in a letter that the Israeli army remains “far from victory” in Gaza despite Tel Aviv’s ongoing genocidal war on the Strip, Israeli media reported.
The letter, signed by over 70 officers, was addressed to Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. It reportedly expressed surprise at recent claims by senior army officials that victory is near and that it may be time to transition to pinpoint raids.
“The public sees the bombings and targeted assassinations and thinks this is how a war should be fought,” the officers said adding:
“It is important to us that the public knows that this is not how wars are won, wars are won on foot. You conquer territory, cleanse it, hold it, and move on to the next target.”
‘Far from Victory’ – Israeli Officers Challenge Claims of Victory in Gaza in Open Letter
“We, who came from the field, know very well that the situation is still far from victory,” the officers added, pointing out that Palestinian Resistance groups continue to have cross-border capabilities, including UAVs, explosive drones, and mortars.
“This is not what victory looks like!” they reportedly asserted.
Back in February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News that “victory is within reach.”
According to Israeli media, at least 10,000 Israeli soldiers have been killed and injured since the war in Gaza began on October 7.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 39,897 Palestinians have been killed, and 92,152 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Hopefully they all kill each other. Right now…
As one hand says to the other “let’s put on a show that all is not well. They’ve all found out and it stinks to high heaven. What can we lose ? ”
By stealth and deception we can lie our way out of this.