Former Israeli Security Chief Says Hamas Must Fall for Peace to Rise

If the people of Gaza and Israel want to return to a normal life, Israel must completely destroy Hamas, according to Major General (Ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former head of Israel’s National Security Council and current fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and the JINSA Strategic Center in Washington, D.C.

Speaking to ILTV this week, Amidror said the only way for Israel to leave the Gaza Strip is by eliminating all remnants of Hamas—its fighters, commanders, terrorists, and infrastructure, both above and below ground.

He noted that some Gazans are trying to rebel, but they aren’t yet strong enough to stand up to Hamas. This is evident, he said, in the number of civilians who have been tortured or even killed after protesting.

“If we want to save the life of as many people in Gaza as possible, and to free Gaza from the atrocities of Hamas, if we want to give the people of Gaza any chance to rebuild Gaza and to live in normal life … the only way is to destroy Hamas totally,” Amidror said.

Originally published in Ynetnews.