‘Our reading of Hamas proved totally wrong…but right now the job is to hit Hamas hard…its commanders, activists…all are targets’
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Dismissing Iran’s role in Hamas’s attack, former military intelligence chief of Israel Major-General Tamir Heymantells Rudroneel Ghosh the immediate goal is to restore Israeli control. He warns Hezbollah: “Don’t put us to the test.”
● Is this a systems failure on Israel’s part?
I’ve no doubt this will be investigated most thoroughly. The time for investigations will come. There’s no doubt something extremely problematic happened. But for the time being, every effort must go towards clearing the area in Israel adjacent to the Gaza Strip of terrorists, and preparing to expand the fighting into Gazan territory, and dealing with the issue of Israeli hostages. IDF, Israeli security agency Shin Bet, and military intelligence are all focused on that.
The commanders will turn the sense of outrage into organised, offensive operations against Hamas and the other terrorist organisations. The test of a strong, quality army like IDF is to be able to recover quickly even from a surprise attack like Saturday’s. We’re already witnessing the start of a reversal; restoration of Israeli control over events.
● How did Hamas launch such an attack when they were thought to be weakened?
This will be examined. For years, Israel believed Hamas preferred to undermine stability in the West Bank while maintaining quiet in the Gaza Strip. That belief collapsed in a tragic way. Hamas is the strongest military force among Palestinians. The last few years, Hamas has restored its military strength significantly. There was intelligence failure here too. Currently, we don’t have the luxury of stopping. The remaining campaign depends on solid reliable intelligence. We’ll hit Hamas hard – its leaders, commanders, activists are all potential subjects of assassinations.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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