Former Mossad official Rami Igra warned that the ongoing images emerging from Gaza will harm Israel’s reputation for generations and called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza on Wednesday on the 103FM program with Anat Davidov and Odi Segal. During the interview, he also discussed ongoing negotiations to reach a deal with Hamas.
Igra, the former head of the Hostages and Missing Persons Division in the Mossad, said, “From the outset, Hamas has had one primary goal, which is the end of the war—not a ceasefire, but the complete end of the war. As long as this goal hasn’t been reached, Hamas will not agree to anything and will continue fighting."
"This presents a rather unusual situation. On one hand, Israel is discussing a ceasefire or a pause in the fighting to facilitate the release of the hostages, while on the other hand, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu repeatedly declares that he will return to fighting immediately after this pause."
"Clearly, no one will accept this, which means that if a ceasefire occurs, Hamas will likely secure concrete guarantees from the Americans to halt the fighting,” Igra explained, pointing to the main obstacle in the hostage release negotiations and Hamas's demands.
“I assume that if Hamas agrees to any deal, it will only be because they have American guarantees they believe in. We also need to look at the other side of Israel. As Israelis, we don’t see the images coming out of Gaza. What has been happening there in recent months is the worst destruction of Israel’s values we’ve ever seen."
"We saw this just yesterday with the events in Syros. To put this into context, let me bring up a tragic historical event: the St. Louis ship. The ship left Germany with hundreds of Jewish refugees who were not allowed to disembark anywhere. This comparison, while extreme, highlights the global sentiment. It illustrates that Israelis are increasingly unable to travel abroad,” Igra remarked.
'We are being portrayed as child executioners'
He continued, “This erosion of values is not just for Israelis but also for Jews worldwide. The images coming out of Gaza have provided the world with a reason to hate Israelis and Jews. These images tell a story that we were not always warned about—that we are ‘businessmen’ or ‘thieves’—but now, we are being portrayed as child executioners and oppressors of populations. Whether or not it is true, or how much of it is fabricated, this is the perception globally. We, too, will pay for Gaza. Our children will pay for it, our grandchildren will pay for it, and Netanyahu doesn’t understand this.”
Igra then addressed Israel’s ability to destroy Hamas, stating, “It’s true that Hamas is a dangerous and ruthless organization, and we all want to see its destruction. Deep down, we want to eliminate every last Hamas terrorist. However, that is not feasible. The alternative facing us is either to agree to the end of the war and create, through negotiations with the Americans, the Emirates, and the Saudis, some kind of alternative in Gaza that will dismantle the ideology behind Hamas, or we continue this senseless war, which serves no real purpose.”
Furthermore, Igra pointed out that Israel’s political decision-makers still do not fully understand Hamas’s nature, as evidenced by their recent statements: “There are people who still don’t grasp what Hamas truly is, just as they didn’t understand it on October 7. They ignore the fact that the majority of the Arab population in Judea and Samaria supports Hamas. Hamas is a religious ideology that cannot be dismantled by force. It must be dismantled through a long-term process, not merely by improving economic conditions, but by establishing an alternative government in Gaza."
"There is no simple solution. You can kill the last Hamas fighter and continue fighting endlessly, but that would only add more casualties and further destabilize the region. And in the end, we would not be a state in the Commonwealth. We wouldn’t know what kind of country we would be. Take a look at the operation, ‘Gideon’s Chariots’—what did it bring Israel other than sorrow, terrible public relations, and countless casualties? It was a futile effort. In my opinion, if a deal is reached, it will be because Hamas believes the war is over and that the Americans have made promises to them," Igra concluded.