While at least 240 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas, the military expert judges that “we had to choose and the Netanyahu government made a choice that it does not accept.”
“It is not possible to launch a ground operation of this type and at the same time want to recover the hostages”, according to Guillaume Ancel, former officer and specialist in defense issues, guest Thursday November 2 at 8:30 a.m. franceinfo. While at least 240 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas, according to Israeli authorities, the military expert judges that“We had to choose and the Netanyahu government made a choice that it does not accept, that is to say it says it is doing both, but it is not compatible.”
Since October 27, Israel has increased ground operations and intensified airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, with the aim of annihilating the Palestinian Islamist movement and “bring the hostages home”, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, “in a strategy of direct confrontation as Israel does, the hostages will be the designated victims”declared Guillaume Ancel. “It is a chronicle of a foretold death which we are unfortunately witnessing“, added the former officer. Hamas estimated on October 26 that “nearly 50” Hostages were killed in Gaza, victims of Israeli raids. On Wednesday, there were seven hostages, including “three foreign passport holders” who were killed the day before in the Israeli bombing of the Jabaliya refugee camp, located north of the enclave, according to the Islamist movement. Israeli authorities have not confirmed these figures.
If the Israeli army simply indicated that its operations on Gaza soil were aimed “among others” the release of the hostages, the Hebrew State announced the release during an operation, during the night from Sunday to Monday, of a soldier held by Hamas. “Either she had a tracker, or a commando probably came to get her during an operation”noted Guillaume Ancel, for whom, this liberation is “the exception that confirms the rule“. According to him, “It’s only possible with someone who is relatively trained, who is prepared for this kind of operation, with a pregnant woman or with kids, you can’t do it.”
Negotiating with a movement classified as terrorist?
By holding hostages, Hamas pursues “a strategic objective which is not at all military”estimated the specialist in military issues, author of the blog “Do not suffer”. “When we negotiate hostages, in fact, we are obliged to make Hamas a credible interlocutor”he assured, adding that his fear is that the movement classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel, “become the essential interlocutor of the crisis with the Palestinian people”. According to him, “the political strategy would rather consist of completely dismissing, discrediting Hamas so that it no longer represents the Palestinian people.”