Army chief: Israel failed to prevent Palestinian rocket barrages
Israeli army chief of staff General Aviv Kochavi has acknowledged that his forces failed to prevent Palestinian resistance groups from launching rockets and mortar shells during the latest Israeli war on Gaza.
Speaking at a conference commemorating former chief of staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, at the military's college north of Tel Aviv, Kochavi said Israel needed to develop clear policies regarding Gaza and Hamas in order to achieve a “strategic victory.”
“We are planning for this. There won’t be a repeat of what has been, both in terms of our retaliations and in terms of our treatment of Hamas,” he said.
Kochavi said the Israeli military had to be “modest” in assessing the effectiveness of its aggression on Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip, noting that tactical victories do not necessarily result in long-term quiet.
At least 260 Palestinians, including 66 children, were killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in 11 days of the conflict that began on May 10. Israel’s airstrikes also brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished territory.
The Gaza-based resistance movements responded by launching over 4,000 rockets into the occupied territories, some reaching as far as Tel Aviv and even Haifa and Nazareth to the north.
Back on June 5, Hamas leader Yahya al-Sinwar warned that another flare-up between the Palestinian factions and the Israeli regime will change the face of the Middle East region.
Speaking before academics and public figures in Gaza City, Sinwar said Palestinian factions used only "half of their force" in the latest conflict with the Israeli regime in May, adding that the fighting was meant only "to test our strength."
"We've proven to Israel that somebody's protecting al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a strategic goal for the Palestinians," he said.
The Hamas leader noted that Israel sought to target more than 10,000 resistance fighters during the latest attacks on Gaza but failed as "ninety fighters were killed at most.”
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