IDF Maj.-Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon was interviewed this Monday morning by Udi Segal and Anat Davidov on 103FM radio. In the interview, Tibon discussed, among other things, the withdrawal of IDF soldiers from Khan Yunis, the end of the Rafah debacle, and the conduct of the political leadership over the past six months.
"I think the operation of the 98th Paratrooper Brigade in Khan Yunis was exceptional," Tibon said. "[But] since there was no diplomatic leg to stand on and no strategic plan, the IDF ended the operation there. Unfortunately, two main goals of the operation were not achieved: Targeting senior Hamas officials and rescuing the hostages. The withdrawal is in complete contrast to what we were constantly told, that only military pressure will bring back the hostages."
Tibon added, "I think for a long time, there hasn't really been a war in the Gaza Strip," saying it seems more similar to police operations or security zones. "The slogans about absolute victory are in complete contrast to what is happening on the ground. The government is dysfunctional, and I've been saying this since the beginning of the war. All the guidelines they give the IDF are not military guidelines; they are just slogans."
How have Israeli politicians been handling the war?
"I want to make a distinction between [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant and [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu," the general clarified, "I have to admit that I don't understand Gallant's management of the war. Therefore, we suddenly find ourselves in a situation where there is no actual military action in Gaza. But this has been going on for several months now, and it is now becoming clear that the 98th Paratrooper Brigade has left. I think, in many ways, the military action in Gaza, which we call a war, has ended."
Regarding the plan for Rafah, Tibon argued that, in his opinion, "everything related to Rafah at the moment is some kind of excuse they are telling us. In order to take action in Rafah, there needs to be a huge relocation of refugees... and I'm not sure the world will accept this whole issue. The Americans have already hinted to us that there is a direct link between our behavior in Gaza and their level of support. But they are selling us a story to supposedly show that there is still a war somehow. This is not how wars are managed, this is not how wars are won, and it is the opposite of winning."
In response to the question of whether Israel is winning diplomatically, Tibon answered, "I think most Israeli citizens do not believe the government's slogans and Netanyahu's statement. We need to say it very clearly: After half a year, Hamas still controls Gaza. It is true that we have eliminated most of its military power, but we have not found anyone to replace Hamas."
Tibon added, "Rescuing the Hostages? We are all going through these difficult times. Elad Katzir's story is the story of the State of Israel's immense abandonment of these hostages, both on October 7 and since then. Netanyahu is the one who talks all the time about the difficulties of reaching a hostage deal. This government, this prime minister, is unable to win the war."
When asked if he personally recounts the events of October 7, Tibon replied, "On Saturday, we celebrated the birthday of my eldest granddaughter from Nahal Oz. I was extremely happy to see that most children were completely fine after these events. It hurt me terribly to see the abandonment and the humiliation our people went through. We had a very, very difficult day. The IDF recovered and did great work, but as we understand, no one on the political level will finish this. Therefore, I also consider it a failure that half a year later, the State of Israel must undergo a deep change in order to win."
Shani Romano for 103FM radio assisted in preparing this article.