Former IDF Maj.-Gen. Israel Ziv spoke this Tuesday morning with Udi Segal and Guy Peleg on 103FM radio regarding the reports of the IDF military operation in Rafah.
"The war was forced upon us, and there is no justification for it, and Israel or the IDF made every effort to separate the non-involved wherever they entered. It was also, by and large, successful, even though Hamas opposed it," he began.
"Why is Rafah different? Rafah wasn't finished in a single battle, and now Rafah has become its own operation. Plans are approved for it, and there is full awareness of it, including international awareness. Additionally, there are actually a lot of displaced people there currently, and the IDF is preparing places for these displaced people to go," Ziv stated.
"The Americans also say to decide on Rafah or Riyadh (operating in Rafah or normalization with Saudi Arabia), and it's no longer just a matter of providing backing or legitimacy. This issue has a very significant, very dramatic strategic cost for the State of Israel, and it has no solution at all," he continued.
"Let's say we overcome these challenges. The IDF won't be able to stay there because they would be occupying Egypt's only international crossing. Will the same thing happen as it did in Khan Yunis and then hand the keys to Hamas? Will we kill another 400 terrorists? It has no meaning. It has no strategic advantage. All of this may be connected to some people's political words, but in practice, it has no security significance, none," Ziv concluded.
Ziv reflects on the current IDF military strategy
"I believe Smotrich should not be considered an expert on war or international law or anything else. I also know that Netanyahu's limitations are roughly the same as Smotrich's. This cabinet is detrimental and is not how a war is waged. There is a very serious problem here, and the public needs to understand it. Israel has no international credit. The Egyptians also put the issue of the peace agreement with Israel on the line and are not afraid to threaten it," Ziv added.