Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confirmed that there is no strategic importance to occupying the city of Rafah in terms of "Israeli vital interests." He emphasized that "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu realizes this, as do some military leaders, and the public must prevent it." In an article published in the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz," Olmert stated, "After more than half a year of integrated air, ground, and underground war, it can be estimated that the basis of Hamas' military strength has been destroyed, and most of the rockets and launch platforms have been eliminated."
He mentioned that "for about four months, there has been almost no rocket launching from Gaza, and this is not the result of a tactical decision by Hamas, but because they have run out of rockets and launch platforms and have little operational capability, due to Israeli control over most areas of the Strip," according to his claims. He continued, "A large number of Hamas fighters have been neutralized, which is a very significant achievement, and this is not only about the first-line fighters in Hamas but also the surrounding chain of command, from senior leaders to the last fighters, and it is highly likely that prominent leaders, including Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Dhayef, are still alive."
He added, "The elimination of movement leader Yahya Sinwar and prominent leader Mohammed Dhayef could be possible through focused operations in the future, even if this takes time, and it is not necessarily aligned with Netanyahu’s specific timeline." He considered that "the elimination of Hamas leaders is an opportunity to launch a victory festival, aimed at obscuring the extent of the downfall for which he is responsible," in reference to the attack of October 7.
Olmert pointed out, "However, as has been said, to a very large extent, it is prohibited to harness the war process and its priorities for Netanyahu’s personal purposes, and there is no one in Israel who does not yearn to hear about the elimination of Sinwar and Dhayef." According to Olmert's assessment, the current moment in Gaza regarding military achievement and deterrence is the same as that which Israel reached at the end of the Second Lebanon War.
He observed that "Netanyahu set an unrealistic goal at the beginning of the ground operation, and there is no way to achieve it or any way to measure it. His talk about an absolute victory over Hamas is an empty slogan, and there will be no such victory; in its absence, the army can always be accused of not achieving it." He confirmed that "there is a real, impactful, and unprecedented victory, and no regular army has ever been required to fight an organization that hides in an underground tunnel network dozens of meters deep," noting that "the Israeli army has acted impressively, and there is no extremely complicated military battle without mistakes and without excess fire on our soldiers."
He stressed that despite this, "there is still one goal that has not been achieved, which is the release of the prisoners, and this goal was not at the center of Netanyahu’s interest from the beginning, who seems to have in some cases undermined the possibility of expanding the infrastructure for the understandings discussed between Israel and Hamas through intermediaries."
Regarding the ground operation in Rafah, Olmert said, "It is not considered an important target to define the outcome of the confrontation between Israel and Hamas," adding that "Israel will not emerge victorious in this confrontation, and the boastful talk about absolute victory reflects stupidity and arrogance, and is basically an attempt to escape from the manifestations of non-victory." He continued, "Netanyahu has long ceased to think about strategic Israeli interests and what needs to be done; he lives in a bubble cut off from reality, telling himself and those around him that he is fighting for the existence of the State of Israel, which is under real threat, and that a historic mission has been thrown upon him to stand before the whole world."
He concluded by stating, "It is time to stop Netanyahu and the Ben-Gvir and Smotrich government. It is time to fill the streets of the country with millions of determined opponents. They must surround the group of hysterics leading the State of Israel toward destruction and stop them before it is too late."
