Former Gaza Brigade commander Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni spoke on Monday with Udi Segal and Anat Davidov on 103FM about the IDF's operation at Shifa Hospital in Gaza and the attack by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
Regarding the operation in Shifa Hospital, he said: "It reminds us that fighting terrorism, especially an organization like Hamas, which has rooted itself very seriously in Gaza for years, is not something that ends in one day. This is a war that will last for years, and it cannot be ended only by military means. It may be that if we continue on this path [without] comprehensive diplomatic thinking or strategic planning for the day after to change the reality in the Gaza Strip, then we will simply return to where we were.
"There are thousands of armed Hamas terrorists in Gaza; Hamas controls the civilian infrastructure," Shamni continued. "If we do not do something together with the US and the regional countries to change the situation at the strategic level, then we will continue to fight.
"These things need to be done in parallel. We need to enter the tunnels and control the Philadelphi Corridor (the border between Gaza and Egypt) to secure the Gaza Strip. The fact that we are still not there is a failure; it indicates a lack of strategic thinking. It was clear that the moment so many refugees would be pushed towards the Egyptian border, a very serious problem would arise," he added.
"I do not doubt that the moment they started in Gaza, there needed to be some security coordination – and there were many means available at that time – to go and close Gaza off from the South and isolate it from the Sinai. We understand that there are tunnels there, weapons pass through there, perhaps hostages passed through there along with terrorists... we do not know. There is no doubt that Israel is now in a very complicated situation," Shamni continued.
"One of the main reasons for this is the conduct of the prime minister of Israel, who continues to clash publicly with the president of the United States, our greatest friend we have ever had, whom they attack, insult, and try to harm in the US election system..." he continued.
"[US President Joe] Biden is a mature enough, responsible enough person who cares about the State of Israel and the Jewish people – he will not abandon us. We need to sit with the Americans and with the Egyptians to explain things to them. We need to show them we know how to [finish dismantling Hamas] without killing tens of thousands of civilians, and the IDF knows how to do that. There is no choice."
When will the IDF chief of staff resign?
Regarding Smotrich's words, he said: "During his tenure as finance minister, he transferred billions to Hamas in suitcases. Smotrich and Netanyahu, along with Qatar, built Hamas, and that's the monster we have today. So first of all, I say to Smotrich: when you talk about the chief of staff, [look at yourself first].
"The chief of staff explained that there are officers who need to be replaced, people who were injured, and people who need to be replaced. There is a dynamic of how to build the army. This is something I don't expect Smotrich to understand. I expect the defense minister not to even address it as background noise. It's his authority, and the authority of the chief of staff, to [coordinate how to] move forward," he continued.
"The chief of staff must continue to lead the fighting at the moment," Shamni concluded. "The moment the defense minister and chief of staff think it's possible to give the reigns to someone else, [he will]. He manages these battles, this war, in a very good manner. He doesn't need Smotrich's help in managing the campaign. The government needs to deal with what it hasn't dealt with until now – formulating a strategy, creating legitimacy.