Former IDF Commander Urges Swift Victory and Military Governance in Gaza

In a candid and critical assessment of Israel’s military strategy, Major General (Res.) Yiftach Ron-Tal, former Commander of the Israeli Ground Forces, has declared that Hamas can be defeated within weeks—if Israel establishes a clear and decisive military timetable.

Speaking out as the war in Gaza drags into its final stages, Ron-Tal is calling for urgent political leadership and a shift away from the long-standing doctrine of deterrence.

“We are in the midst of a difficult and prolonged campaign for the very existence of the Jewish people in their land,” Ron-Tal said, emphasizing that the roots of Israel’s current crisis lie not in the events of October 7, 2023, but in decades of flawed military and political decisions.

Chief among those missteps, according to Ron-Tal, was the 2000 withdrawal from South Lebanon under Prime Minister Ehud Barak. “He gave up the territory that served as a security buffer for northern Israel, unilaterally and for nothing,” he said.

The abandonment of the South Lebanese Army (SLA), Israel’s ally in the region, sent a message of weakness, he argues—a message that has continued to haunt Israel’s security posture.

Similarly, Ron-Tal condemns the 2005 disengagement from Gaza, which he calls both a “national and security disgrace.”

He believes this move enabled Hamas to entrench itself and build a terror infrastructure in the strip almost uncontested for two decades. “We left Gaza like a child closing its eyes, thinking no one would see it,” he said.

Ron-Tal, who met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times during the war to share his views, expressed skepticism about the government’s commitment to his recommendations.

He maintains that the policy of “quiet will be met with quiet” has failed, allowing both Hamas and Hezbollah to expand their capabilities dramatically. He attributes much of this failure to a dangerous shift in military doctrine—from achieving victory to merely managing conflicts.

“We built an army focused on managing conflicts and deterrence, an army that does everything except harm the capabilities that developed right before our eyes,” Ron-Tal said.

Calling for a full recapture of Gaza, he advocates for a temporary military administration, paving the way for an alternative Palestinian leadership not affiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. “Only through military governance and cooperation with moderate Arab states can a stable alternative emerge,” he argued.

On the matter of responsibility, Ron-Tal said senior military leaders have begun stepping down, but the political leadership must also face accountability. “In a democracy, the way to regain trust is through elections,” he said.

Finally, Ron-Tal underscored the return of the hostages as Israel’s “supreme moral and ethical objective.” Only through sustained military pressure, he insists, can there be hope for their safe return.

“Israel must act with clarity and urgency,” Ron-Tal concluded. “Only then can we restore security and honor.”