On a tour with IDF commanders in the Gaza Division on Tuesday, military commentator Yossi Yehoshua heard harsh criticism from officers about the possibility of an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as part of Trump’s plan to end the war and return the hostages.
Yehoshua wrote in Ynet that “most of the details regarding the security arrangements are vague, but it is quite clear that the commanders in the Gaza Division and the Southern Command are firmly opposed to the idea of returning to the fence and not having a Zionist perimeter inside the Gaza Strip.”
The commanders emphasized, “It is forbidden to return to October 6th. It is impossible to protect the settlements from the fence. Farmers driving their tractor should not see Hamas terrorists, but the IDF must always be in front of them.”
Among the field command echelon, officers emphasized that “We cannot say that the IDF will know how to defend any place that the political echelon orders it to do so.”
However, they clarified that there is “a dramatic difference between protecting Sderot and the kibbutzim from Ridge 70 inside Gaza and protecting the same places from the other side of the fence or near there.”