Israel will face an existential threat if Hezbollah, Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria, and Palestinian terrorists from Judea and Samaria join the fighting, former National Security Adviser Giora Eiland said in a chilling assessment on Sunday.
In an interview with Kan Bet, Eiland – a former head of the IDF’s Planning Directorate – said that the “State of Gaza” has declared war on the State of Israel, and in this situation, it is not enough just to fight combatants, but it is incumbent upon Israel to hit the infrastructure inside Gaza that enables it to continue waging this war.
Eiland suggested that Israel hit Gaza’s water supply, as well as cut it off from Egypt so that supplies cannot come in from there. When one state wages war against another, he said, it is necessary to take the steps to ensure that the attacking state cannot function properly and continue to wage war.
Humanitarian crisis concerns
Anticipating an international outcry about Israel causing a humanitarian crisis, Eiland said that only these types of draconian steps can put pressure on Hamas to release the Israeli men, women, and children it kidnapped. When the world warns about a humanitarian crisis, Eiland said, Israel can reply that it has its own humanitarian crisis in the form of its citizens being held hostage by Hamas and that these measures are justified in securing their release.
Eitan Dangot, a former Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), echoed Eiland’s opinion, writing in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that as a result of the hostages taken by Hamas, Israel has no humanitarian obligation toward Gaza.
“The humanitarian axis does not exit toward Hamas except in exchange [for something],” he wrote. “No water, no electricity, no fuel, no goods, no medicine. There is no obligation for anything. Within four to five days Gaza is under pressure.”
This, he said, is the only way to conduct negotiations with Hamas for the release of the captives.