Gaza – SABA:
Former Israeli Navy Commander, Reserve Major General Eliezer Marom, warned against missing any opportunity to reach a prisoner exchange deal, stressing that "opportunities don’t come twice" and that "making concessions has become a necessity if there is genuine intent to recover the prisoners."
In controversial remarks that stirred debate in political and military circles, Marom stated:
"If there’s a chance for a deal, we must rush to finalize it and make concessions—otherwise, recovering the prisoners will be extremely difficult."
Marom strongly criticized Israel’s official military-only approach, sarcastically questioning:
"Can we fight until the last Kalashnikov in Gaza? Try doing that first with 'Arabs in Israel' or in the West Bank... Military pressure doesn’t solve all dilemmas."
Commenting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent speech, Marom said:
"We have two conflicting narratives: one says we’ll fight until we defeat Hamas, the other claims we’ll fight for 'absolute victory.' I don’t know what 'defeating Hamas' means, nor what 'absolute victory' is supposed to be."
He concluded:
"We know very well Hamas will never agree to disarm. So we must think realistically—not in slogans."
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