Israeli army ‘still far from victory’ in Gaza: Army officers

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army is “still far from victory” in the Gaza Strip as Tel Aviv continued its deadly offensive on the Palestinian enclave since last Oct. 7, dozens of Israeli reserve officers said in a letter on Sunday.

“In the past few days, we have been astonished by repeated statements from senior army officials that victory is within reach and it is possible to move to the stage of pinpoint raids,” reads the letter signed by around 100 officers to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

“We, who came from the field, know very well that the situation is still far from victory.”

The army officers said that Palestinian resistance factions still have cross-border capabilities such as UAVs, explosive drones and mortars.

“This is not what victory looks like!”

In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News that "victory is within reach."

At least 10,000 Israeli soldiers have been killed and injured since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict last Oct. 7, according to Israeli media last Sunday.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed nearly 39,800 victims, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,000 others, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi