Israel’s military leadership wants a cease-fire with Hamas in case a bigger war breaks out in Lebanon, security officials say. It has also concluded that a truce would be the swiftest way to free hostages.

Israel’s top generals want to begin a cease-fire in Gaza even if it keeps Hamas in power for the time being, widening a rift between the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has opposed a truce that would allow Hamas to survive the war.

The generals think that a truce would be the best way of freeing the roughly 120 Israelis still held, both dead and alive, in Gaza, according to interviews with six current and former security officials.

Underequipped for further fighting after Israel’s longest war in decades, the generals also think their forces need time to recuperate in case a land war breaks out against Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that has been locked in a low-level fight with Israel since October, multiple officials said.

A truce with Hamas could also make it easier to reach a deal with Hezbollah, according to the officials, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. Hezbollah has said it will continue to strike northern Israel until Israel stops fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Known collectively as the General Staff Forum, Israel’s military leadership is formed from roughly 30 senior generals, including the military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the commanders of the army, air force and navy, and the head of military intelligence.

Archive link to article

  • SternEnglish
    45•5 months ago

    “welp we ran out of bullets to kill palestineans with, so truce until joe gives us more”

    most onion ass shit ive ever heard

  • sunzu
    20•5 months ago

    Didn’t they just threatened to “send Lebanon into stone age”

  • @LinkerbaanOPEnglish
    11•5 months ago

    A very interesting article staying on the back of my mind is the MEE one from two weeks ago. About the US envoy suggesting to Lebanon that there’s a deadline somewhere in three weeks.

    US signals to Hezbollah it will back Israeli offensive, as frustration with Gaza ceasefire grows

    Hochstein told Lebanese officials that Israel anticipates roughly five more weeks of intense fighting in Gaza, after which it will pause its main offensive across the enclave. However, it will continue to target senior Hamas officials and conduct attacks to recover hostages.

      • @LinkerbaanOPEnglish
        5•5 months ago

        Well the dubious part is that it could also imply that israel is starting a war with Lebanon in three weeks now Gaza has been fully bombed to rubble.

        Hochstein said that the mentioned lull in Gaza fighting gives Hezbollah and Israel an opportunity to end their conflict and start negotiations, with or without a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Arab official who spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity said.

        Hochstein warned that once fighting in Gaza pauses, Israeli officials intend to turn their full focus to the northern border with the aim of pushing Hezbollah back from the area so the roughly 60,000-96,000 displaced Israelis can return to their homes before the start of school in the fall.

        But Hochstein warned Lebanese officials, in anticipation that the message would be delivered to Hezbollah, that the US would back its ally fully if fighting doesn’t stop in the next five weeks.

  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    3•5 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    The military’s attitude to a cease-fire reflects a major shift in its thinking over the past months as it became more clear that Mr. Netanyahu was refusing to articulate or commit to a postwar plan.

    General Halevi, the chief of staff, has recently tried to play up the military’s achievements, in what some analysts said was an effort to create a pretext to end the war without losing face.

    But officials also believe that several thousand Hamas fighters remain at large, hidden in tunnels dug deep underneath the surface of Gaza, guarding stockpiles of weapons, fuel, food and some hostages.

    In a rare television interview in late June, the prime minister dismissed suggestions that the war should end, but acknowledged that the military should draw down its presence in Gaza in order “to move part of our forces to the north.”

    According to the military officials, that move is needed to help the army recuperate in case a wider war with Hezbollah does break out, not because Israel is preparing to invade Lebanon imminently.

    At least some tanks in Gaza are not loaded with the full capacity of the shells that they usually carry, as the military tries to conserve its stocks in case a bigger war with Hezbollah does break out, according to two officers.

    The original article contains 1,476 words, the summary contains 216 words. Saved 85%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!