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The former head of British intelligence and former British ambassador to the United Nations, John Sawers, said that Israeli leaders must realize that the idea of invading the Strip Gaza And destroy the movement agitation It may be far-fetched.
He added in an article published by the British newspaper “Financial Times” that Hamas has a large political and popular base and broad external support from Iran, and therefore it would be better for the Israeli Prime Minister to be the target. Benjamin Netanyahu In the long term, his government aims to stabilize Gaza and prevent the violence from turning into a regional conflict.
According to Sawers, Hamas aimed through its “brutal” attack on Israel to instill fear in the hearts of Israelis, draw attention to its cause and provoke exaggerated reactions.
At dawn on October 7, it was launched Al-Qassam Brigades The military arm of Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza “Operation”Al-Aqsa flood“, in response to the continuing attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against the Palestinian people, their property and holy sites, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
He added, “Therefore, Netanyahu and his war government must review their options more carefully, because urban warfare is difficult and complex, which is what we witnessed in Aleppo and Mariupol, where the two cities were leveled to the ground to defeat the entrenched force.”
Sawers added that the process of purging the Iraqi city of Mosul from the control of ISIS, which was led by the United States of America, took 9 months and cost thousands of civilian deaths, pointing out that Israel does not have that time, and that its army knows that it will face demands for an early ceasefire. .
The former head of British intelligence confirmed that one of the options that the Israelis are considering is to close the entire Gaza Strip with a double wall, consisting of a new barrier some distance inside Gaza territory, in addition to the current border wall, and closing all crossings into Israel.
He continued, “But this solution leaves the question of who will manage Gaza and its citizens, as Israel has no desire to occupy it again, and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank cannot return to the Strip on the back of Israeli tanks, and Egypt refuses to absorb 2 million refugees.”
Sawers proposed forming an international administration for the Gaza Strip with a mandate from the UN Security Council, stressing that the United Nations had done so before in Namibia, Cambodia, Bosnia and East Timor.
He added that the challenges will be huge, and any such presence must be led by Arab countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia that are acceptable to Israel and stand by the people of Gaza, and others such as Pakistan, Indonesia and the Gulf states can also contribute.
