Chief of Staff warns ministers not to end war

 

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi during Sunday's general cabinet meeting discussed the continuation of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"The military is following the objectives of the war and is advancing much better than we thought at the beginning of the war. There is still a big distance between us and fulfilling the war's objectives, and there is no doubt that we will reach those goals that we have set for ourselves. But we need to know that there's still a distance and it will take more time."

Halevi added: "I do not doubt that we would never manage to free 100 hostages without the progression of the military maneuver in Gaza and if we stop the maneuver now Hamas will go into a mindset of 'there's time.' Hamas at the moment can not function as it would like and therefore Hamas and the senior leadership are stressed. If we stop like they demand we do in a hostage deal, we can find ourselves in years of fighting instead of months."

The Chief of Staff hinted to the ministers that it would be wrong to stop the fighting in Gaza. Regarding the release of hostages, he said clearly to the ministers that the more Israel pushes and advances in the combat in Gaza there is more chance to free the hostages.

Halevi also discussed pulling troops out of the Gaza Strip, and said: "We haven't finished the war and we are constantly winning and are on our way to victory, it is important to continue and not to stop."