Israel’s newly appointed military chief, Eyal Zamir, stated on Wednesday that the country’s mission to defeat Hamas has not been completed. His remarks came at a critical time as a fragile ceasefire in Gaza remains in place.
At a ceremony in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s determination to win the multi-front war, which began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. These statements follow an Arab League endorsement on Tuesday of a plan to rebuild Gaza under Palestinian Authority governance, which serves as an alternative to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s widely criticized proposal to take control of Gaza and displace its inhabitants.
The possibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) ruling Gaza remains uncertain, with Israel firmly opposing any future role for the PA in the territory controlled by Hamas since 2007.
While Hamas has suffered significant setbacks, Zamir asserted, “It has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished.” These comments come amidst stalled negotiations regarding the next steps in the ongoing ceasefire.
Zamir is replacing Herzi Halevi, who resigned as Israel’s armed forces chief in January following the military’s failures to prevent the October 7 attack. A subsequent internal investigation by the military acknowledged its “complete failure” to prevent the deadly assault, which resulted in 1,218 Israeli deaths, most of them civilians. In retaliation, Israel’s military actions in Gaza have killed at least 48,405 people, primarily civilians, according to both sides’ data.
Arab Plan for Gaza Reconstruction
The ongoing war has left Gaza in ruins, creating a severe humanitarian crisis. At an Arab League summit on Tuesday, leaders announced a “comprehensive” plan for Gaza’s reconstruction, supported by a trust fund, and called for international backing.
An early draft of the plan, seen by AFP, proposed a five-year roadmap costing $53 billion — an estimate similar to the UN’s reconstruction assessment — though this figure was not included in the summit’s final statement. The plan also envisions a political track toward Palestinian statehood, an ambition opposed by Israeli leaders.
The summit called for the unification of Palestinian representation under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which could marginalize Hamas, as it is not part of the PLO.
The Arab initiative stands in contrast to Trump’s controversial proposal, which had suggested turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” and forcibly relocating its Palestinian inhabitants to Egypt or Jordan.
Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted that the Arab plan is “far more realistic” than the U.S. proposal, which was widely condemned.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty mentioned that the plan would seek support from Muslim nations at an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers in Jeddah on Friday.
Ceasefire Impasse and Hostage Situation
The first phase of the ceasefire ended last month after six weeks of calm, which included exchanges of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel hopes to extend the first phase until mid-April, but Hamas demands a transition to the second phase, which would aim for a permanent end to the war.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 confirmed dead by the Israeli military.
Netanyahu continues to face pressure from the families of the hostages to secure their return. Yael Lotem, the mother of a slain hostage, expressed her frustration: “It was possible to bring them all back alive, and that didn’t happen.”
