Gantz: Start assassinating Hamas officials abroad

The Blue and White party’s chairman has an alternate plan to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Blue and White Party Chairman Benny Gantz took to social media Friday to post his alternate plan to pressure Hamas into releasing the 50 hostages it is still holding, 20 of whom are still believed to be alive.

In criticizing the cabinet’s decision Thursday night to evacuate almost a million residents from Gaza City to safe zones and then have the IDF destroy all Hamas forces and infrastructure there — despite the chance that hostages could be killed — the former IDF chief of staff called it an “uncreative” pressure tactic and a “political failure that is wasting the IDF’s tremendous achievements.”

Instead, he wrote, Israel should announce that it would be willing to agree to a permanent ceasefire in exchange for “every last kidnapped person.”

However, “as long as this is not accepted,” he wrote, the first thing Israel should do is “eliminate Hamas leaders anywhere in the world.”

Many top members of the terror organization live abroad in luxurious homes in places such as Turkey and Qatar, where they have complete freedom of movement.

To date, Israel has focused on assassinating Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, successfully eliminating almost the entire top cadre running the military operations there as well as several officials running departments governing civilian affairs.

The IDF has also killed many important Hamas operatives in Lebanon and Syria.

Gantz wants to ensure the hostages’ safety above all, saying that the IDF should “raid every Hamas stronghold in the Strip as long as there is no danger to the hostages.”

This includes, in his opinion, the al-Muwasi humanitarian zone, where the IDF assumes many Hamas fighters are hiding and using civilians there as human shields.

Having labeled it a safe zone for Gazans, the IDF has never raided it, although it is reportedly believed that as a result, at least some of the hostages may be held captive there.

Gantz agreed with those in the government who want to make a major effort to have Gazans leave the Strip en masse, in accordance with the idea that U.S. President Donald Trump floated already six months ago.

“Announce the opening of the crossings for Gazans to leave for the port of Ashdod, Jordan or Egypt – start moving the Trump plan forward. Whoever wants t let them leave,” he wrote.

As for the “day after,” he seemed to broadly agree with the latest plan mentioned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which rejected any role for the Palestinian Authority in running the coastal enclave.

“Reach an agreement with the U.S. and Arab countries on the establishment of a ‘Gaza Administration’ – and inform Hamas that this is the body that will administer Gaza on the civilian level while Israel maintains security.”

Israel, he added, would maintain “the right to act” if “all the hostages are not returned or Hamas re-arms,” as the IDF “knows” how to enter Gaza “with divisions” of soldiers.

Now is not the time to do so again, he wrote.

Although it is natural that members of the opposition would slam the government’s plans, there are critical voices within the coalition as well, and the vote to begin this next major offensive was not unanimous.

'the day after'Benny Gantzhamas hostagesIsrael-Hamas war