Debate emerges in Israel over goals of war in Gaza

As international outrage over the human toll of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip grows, an increasingly public domestic debate is emerging over whether the country should press on with its war or reach a cease-fire-for-hostages deal.

The military is advancing slowly in Gaza, even as Israel is under pressure from the United States to scale back its operations and move to a less intensive phase of fighting – with smaller numbers of troops carrying out more targeted operations – sometime over the next month.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal at the start of the war of eliminating Hamas appears unrealistic within a foreseeable time frame, some analysts say, while many Israelis are increasingly focused on the plight of scores of remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Support for the war remains strong in Israel, but the definition of victory may change with the realization of how long the fight will go on and as the testimony of released hostages adds to a sense of urgency for bringing others back alive.

In addition, the massive call-up of reserve soldiers has hit the Israeli economy, and war weariness is setting in.

Ehud Olmert, a former Israeli prime minister and harsh critic of Netanyahu, wrote in the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper that Israel must “prepare for a change in direction.”

“The expectations our government-of-doom manufactured regarding the war’s objectives were baseless, unreal and unattainable from the first,” he said.

In light of growing international demands for a cessation of hostilities, including from some of Israel’s closest Western allies, Olmert added, “It’s decision time. A cease-fire with living hostages, or a forced cessation of hostilities with dead ones.”

For weeks, the Israeli military and the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, have parsed the initial objective of eliminating or destroying Hamas to mean degrading its military capabilities so that it can no longer pose the kind of threat it did on Oct. 7, when it led hundreds of armed assailants on a deadly rampage in southern Israel, while ensuring that it is no longer able to rule Gaza.

But Gallant said Friday achieving those goals will require a “lengthy operation” and “patience.”

Some military experts say victory over Hamas is achievable, but only over time.

Gabi Siboni, a colonel in the military reserves and a fellow of the conservative-leaning Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said it was possible to “eliminate the Hamas presence,” but he added, “The reality is that we are going to be fighting in Gaza for years to come.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.