the Israeli offensive, the trap set by Hamas and the situation of civilians in Gaza… Guillaume Ancel’s “8h30 franceinfo”

Guillaume Ancel, former French army officer was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo” on November 2, 2023. Israeli offensive, Hamas objectives and situation of civilians, he responded to Agathe Lambret and Jean-Rémi Baudot

Israeli military’s war aims ‘unclear’

While Israel promised a massive ground offensive, it ultimately dragged on, for strategic reasons according to Guillaume Ancel on franceinfo this Thursday: “There is something much more uncertain than at the start. In the first days following the brutal Hamas attack, we saw that the Israeli army had been mandated by the Netanyahu government to carry out a raid tide on the Gaza Strip. And then, gradually, the offensive did not begin until three weeks later. We see that the Israeli army is cautious, because its war aims are not clear.

The bombings on Jabaliya, “illustration of the trap set by Hamas”

After Israel’s bombing of a refugee camp in Gaza, the Israeli army welcomes the death of one of those responsible for the Hamas attack, while the international community is concerned about the fate of civilians. An opinion shared by Guillaume Ancel: “This is an illustration of the trap set by Hamas for Israel. They set up a command center in the middle of a refugee center, it’s crazy, it’s beastly, but we can’t expect less from Hamas . On the other hand, to destroy this center, Israel uses a 250 kg bomb in a very populated area. This is a minimum of 50 deaths. They kill an officer, who will be immediately replaced, and for each member of Hamas killed, ten civilians are too. This is not acceptable.”

“The siege of Gaza is starting to claim more victims than the war itself”

According to the former French army officer, the situation of civilians in Gaza is “catastrophic”. The main problem for him is that“There are deaths in the Gaza Strip which are not linked to the war, but to the siege. These are wounded or sick people who are dying, children suffering from malnutrition. The siege of Gaza is starting to claim more victims than the war itself. And it’s all civilians.”

Find the full interview here: