After the political leadership announced a cease fire in Gaza, quite a few army officers strongly opposed the decision, arguing that Hamas will take advantage of this time to restore its forces in Gaza and the renewed fighting after the cease fire – won’t be the same.
In a column written by Yediot military commentator Yossi Yehoshua, he argued that we need to distinguish the messages coming out of the IDF, especially the Chief of Staff, as well as the people responsible for the terrible failure of October 7, and the fighting ranks in Gaza. The gaps between them are apparent in both character and outlook: the latter is not blinded by rigid approaches, isn’t interested in overthinking it, and mostly wants to win. There, you will not hear clear support for the cease fire – and that’s an understatement.
The officers who have fought for eight weeks and achieved much despite all sorts of warnings twisting in the wind are convinced that it’s a mistake to stop them at the height of the offensive, moments before the entire northern Strip falls. These messages come from the ground and from far more than just once officer.
They also come from some of the parents of soldiers who fell during operations in Gaza. One of them is Moshe Moreno, father of Maj. (res.) Itay Moreno, a Maglan soldier who fell in the battle for Zikim. Moshe is also the brother Israeli hero, Lt.-Col. Emanuel Moreno ob”m. Moshe strongly opposes the ceasefire, writing: “My heart is burning. I will not be able to stand it if I know my son fell for nothing, and in a few days we’ll learn that we’ve once again been fooled (by Hamas so they can) organize, arm, and kill more soldiers. How much can I bear this burden of bereavement, and in the end - for what?”