Colonel Hezi Nehama advocates for aggressive strategy to defeat Hamas

In the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Colonel Hezi Nehama, a former IDF officer, has been a vocal critic of the Israeli Defense Forces' approach against Hamas, which he perceives as ineffective and stagnant. Nehama asserts that after almost two years of war, the IDF needs to adopt a more aggressive strategy to ensure a quick victory. He emphasizes that limited tactics have hampered the military's successes, advocating for harsher measures that not only degrade but entirely dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities. Colonel Nehama’s proposal includes deploying multiple IDF divisions simultaneously across different regions of Gaza, encompassing northern, central, and southern areas, to eliminate Hamas fighters and occupy their strongholds. He stresses the importance of relocating civilians to humanitarian zones to isolate combatants and the necessity of enforcing a complete blockade on Hamas-controlled territories. Nehama criticizes the IDF's current cautious tactics, which accommodate the group’s control over humanitarian supplies, allowing Hamas to utilize these resources to fund its military efforts against Israel. Emphasizing the necessity of a comprehensive blockade, Nehama points out that the limited access restrictions currently in place prevent a decisive victory. He argues that by avoiding full siege tactics, the IDF inadvertently permits Hamas to regroup and rearm, prolonging the conflict. He questions the IDF Legal Counsel’s strict interpretations of international law, which he argues compel the military to provide humanitarian assistance even in areas where Hamas has authority, further empowering the organization instead of weakening it. Nehaama remains optimistic about the potential for a rapid end to the hostilities in Gaza and believes that such an outcome is feasible only if Israel commits to a clear and uncompromising military strategy. He is critical of the current approach and encourages a forceful military response to dismantle the governing and military infrastructure of Hamas, which has been a significant obstacle to peace in the region.