Israel’s army has achieved all it could in Gaza conflict, in response to former protection minister : NPR

Israel’s Protection Minister Yoav Gallant speaks throughout a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas assault on October 7 final 12 months that sparked the continuing conflict in Gaza, on the Mount Herzl army cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel Sunday Oct. 27, 2024.

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Gil Cohen-Magen/AP/Pool AFP

On his final day as Israel’s protection minister, Yoav Gallant advised members of the family of the Israeli hostages in Gaza that the Israeli army had achieved all of its goals in Gaza and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was solely chargeable for holding up a ceasefire deal that may finish the conflict and get the remaining hostages dwelling.

Netanyahu fired Gallant final week, saying that belief between them had “eroded” and that “important variations” had emerged between himself and Gallant about methods to proceed within the conflict in Gaza.

Gil Dickmann was one of many members of the family on the assembly with Gallant on Thursday. “I felt like he was lastly free to talk freely and to say what he thinks,” Dickmann advised NPR.

Gallant, who served as protection minister for the whole thing of the conflict till now, advised them that there was a deal on the desk in July that may have introduced the hostages dwelling in two phases – Gallant mentioned he urged Netanyahu to just accept the deal however that the prime minister refused.

It was heartbreaking for Dickmann to listen to. His cousin, Carmel Gat, was 39 when she was taken hostage – together with about 250 others – final October 7, within the Hamas-led assault on Israel that killed round 1,200 individuals.

After Netanyahu mentioned no to the potential ceasefire deal in July, Gat was killed in Gaza together with 5 different Israeli hostages in August. Hamas later took duty for his or her killings.

Since July, 1000’s extra Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza – bringing the demise toll as much as greater than 43,000 in response to the ministry of well being – and a number of other extra hostages have been confirmed lifeless as effectively.

A protester holds an Israeli flag as Israelis gentle a bonfire throughout a protest after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed his protection minister Yoav Gallant in a shock announcement in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

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“It was very clear from him that the rationale why we did not take this deal was not army, it wasn’t diplomatic – I believe it was a political purpose,” Dickmann mentioned, referring to Netanyahu utilizing it for his personal political achieve “That meant that my cousin, who was alive originally of July, stayed in captivity and was murdered simply six weeks later.”

Dickmann says Gallant advised them that the Israeli army has now completed all it could in Gaza.

“What he mentioned is there’s solely a lot you are able to do with pressure, and so they’ve achieved it,” he recalled.

Dickmann paraphrased Gallant’s phrases to them: “‘We haven’t any extra rivals, any extra enemies that we will even kill proper now, as a result of they’re all lifeless. We killed all of them.’ Because the Minister of Protection, he mentioned, ‘I did my job’.” Gallant was referring to a sequence of excessive degree Hamas leaders who’ve been killed by the Israeli army, together with chief Yahya Sinwar in October.

NPR obtained a transcript and listened to a recording of the assembly with Gallant and was capable of confirm what Gil Dickmann advised us.

NPR additionally reached out to each Gallant and the Prime Minister’s workplace about these claims. Neither responded.

For Dickmann, listening to that Netanyahu has been the primary sticking level in negotiations was sort of a aid. “It looks like we have been via 13 months of gaslighting wherein Netanyahu is telling us ‘No, this isn’t my fault, […] don’t blame me for the truth that the hostages aren’t right here’,” Dickmann mentioned.

Gallant’s ouster is the newest in a sequence of personnel strikes Netanyahu has remodeled the conflict in Gaza. In June, Netanyahu dissolved his conflict cupboard, which gave him extra unilateral management over the conflict.

The Worldwide Prison Court docket is searching for arrest warrants for each Netanyahu and Gallant for conflict crimes associated to Gaza.

Gallant’s firing, in response to an Israeli official who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate inside deliberations, was introduced on the day of the U.S. presidential election as a result of the Biden administration could be in any other case distracted and wouldn’t be capable of protest the choice.

But it surely didn’t cease the Israeli public from protesting throughout the nation, shutting down main highways, lighting fires and finally being quelled by police. Many noticed this as another transfer towards the breakdown of Israel’s democracy.

“We really feel that our nation is slipping away, and tonight is simply the final nail on the coffin,” mentioned 37-year-old Maayan Oz, at protests in Tel Aviv. “It is the final proof that the Prime Minister determined that his personal pursuits are extra essential than the safety and the lifetime of the citizen.”

Efforts to get ceasefire talks restarted have been gradual transferring. In the meantime, dozens of Palestinians proceed to be killed by Israeli strikes every single day in Gaza, and 101 Israeli hostages – round a 3rd of whom are confirmed lifeless – proceed to languish in captivity.

NPR’s Daniel Estrin contributed to this report.