Former French army officer and writer Guillaume Ancel was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo” on Thursday October 19, 2023.
Guillaume Ancel, former French army officer and writer, author of the blog “Ne pas être” was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo”, Thursday October 19, 2023. The delicate question of hostages in Palestine and the airstrikes carried out by the Israeli army against Gaza... He answers questions from Jérôme Chapuis and Salhia Brakhlia.
“If Hamas wants to escape, it will pose as refugees”
For Guillaume Ancel, “the frontal strategy makes no sense and would undoubtedly endanger the hostages”, “real human shields”. The Palestinian movement claims to hold between 200 and 250 hostages, at least 199, according to Israel. The former officer points “absence of politics” on the part of Israel which “collectively punishes a people”. “We cannot destroy Hamas with a ground offensive. Especially since if Hamas wants to escape, it will pose as refugees”he says. “The attack of October 7 is a total failure of Netanyahu’s security policy”, he assures. Coming in person to Tel Aviv to support Israel, American President Joe Biden assured that he was working with the Jewish state to avoid “more civilians” but for Guillaume Ancel, the United States is worried about “the absence of a clear strategy” of the government of Israel.
“Israel understands that its lack of strategy is leading it into a wall”
The unprecedented airstrikes carried out by the Israeli army against Gaza and the IDF troops amassed around the enclave suggest a likely ground operation. But for Guillaume Ancel, the initial idea of invading the Gaza Strip to “annihilate” Hamas “leads to nothing”. “Israel understands that its lack of strategy is leading it into a wall”, he insists. According to him, “Israelis are beginning to seriously doubt the objectives that are being pursued”. “In my opinion, the Israelis have an interest above all, on the contrary, in procrastinating things, the more the days pass, the more the Israelis realize that it is not by killing other people’s children that they will get their own back”affirms the former officer, for whom the prospect of a ground operation carried out by the Israeli army is “a quagmire”.
Strike against a Gaza hospital: “One of Hamas’ traps is to make our societies hysterical”
Questioned about the deadly strike against a hospital in Gaza, Guillaume Ancel warns that neither Hamas nor Israel “will recognize the truth”. “One of the traps of Hamas is to make our societies, all our societies, hysterical”he warns, while the deadly strike against the hospital has raised a wave of revolt in the Middle East. “It’s an element of psychological warfare. The Israelis defend themselves by saying ‘it can’t be us’, when in reality they can’t prove it at all.”he explains. “The origin of this carnage is war”he points out. “This would never have happened if it weren’t for this war started by Hamas and now Israel persisting in a strategy that, in my opinion, is a bloody dead end. Either way, we will be faced with this kind of problems every five days”adds the former officer.
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Find the entire “8:30 a.m. franceinfo” from Thursday October 19, 2023: