Israeli generals press PM for truce amid troop fatigue

GAZA STRIP

Israeli generals commanding the troops in the Gaza Strip have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire in a recent meeting, citing troops' fatigue and lack of ammunition from the nine-month-long conflict.

Israeli state media on July 3 reported that a group of generals and the commanders of four brigades in Gaza met with Netanyahu, expressing that the soldiers were “experiencing exhaustion due to continuous service.”

The returns of areas in Gaza from which the Israeli army had previously withdrawn and wrapped operations have intensified the military burden, indicating the likelihood of a protracted campaign.

The generals conveyed to Netanyahu that they are on the brink of dismantling Hamas but stressed the necessity for the soldiers to rest through a ceasefire, even if only briefly.

The state media also reported that the troops in Gaza were under strain due to restrictions and delayed shipments of certain bombs by the U.S., coupled with a shortage of military personnel.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant underscored the urgent need for 10,000 soldiers to address both the situation in Gaza and the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah on the northern Lebanese border.

The news of the generals' meeting with Netanyahu surfaced a day after the New York Times reported that the upper echelons of the military were advocating for a ceasefire, even if one of the premier’s war objectives, the eradication of Hamas, had not been achieved.

The generals think that a truce would be the best way of freeing the roughly 120 Israelis still held, both dead and alive, in Gaza, according to interviews with six current and former security officials.

Responding to the report, Netanyahu, however, insisted that the war on Hamas would be a "long campaign.”

He rejected reports that generals could wind down the operation in Gaza before achieving all of its aims, surfacing a new rift between the government and the general in the Palestinian enclave.

Netanyahu said his country would not give in to the "winds of defeatism,” while army chief Herzi Halevi said the destruction of Hamas infrastructure would take more time.

"This is a long campaign, with determination and perseverance we are accomplishing our missions and wearing down the other side," Halevi told troops after touring Israel's operations in southern Gaza.

"We will not capitulate to the winds of defeatism, neither in The New York Times nor anywhere else. We are inspired by the spirit of victory," he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces bombed and battled Hamas in Gaza City on Wednesday as tens of thousands of Palestinians scrambled for a safe haven after the army issued an evacuation order for a vast swathe in the territory's south.

Apache helicopters and Israeli quadcopter drones flew above Gaza City's Shujaiya district as heavy gunfire echoed through the streets, said AFP reporters.