October 10, 2023
On Tuesday evening, Op1 will also be completely devoted to the conflict in and around Israel. We discuss the latest news with former Commander of the Army Mart de Kruif, professor of Jewish history Bart Wallet, Dana Yair Blazer, whose husband is a reservist, Amsterdam councilors Itay Garmy (Volt) and Sheher Khan (Denk), Rabbi Joram Rookmaaker, theater maker Jaïr Stranders and Leila Jaffar, who worries about what awaits the Palestinians.
Atrocities in Kfar Azza
Fighting continued until Tuesday morning in Kfar Azza, a kibbutz in Israel a few kilometers from Gaza. Images of the village emerged on Tuesday evening. According to the Israeli army, several decapitated bodies were found, including 40 young children and dead babies. “This makes you speechless,” says Bart Wallet. “You think: could it get any worse? Is there a next level? Yes, there is. Here Hamas presents a calling card for what it stands for. It’s gross and heinous.”
“I have encountered many horrors in my career,” says Mart de Kruif. “But there was always an element of respect. Whoever it was. The Taliban, or whoever. But that is completely missing here. I find that shocking.”
Gaza
A dilemma facing the Israeli army, according to De Kruif, is how they will control Gaza. By air or on ground? “You can only break Hamas to a limited extent through the air. You can bomb the city to the ground, but that doesn’t break the will to fight.”
“Or you go over the ground into Gaza. If you do that, you get a second dilemma. What will Hezbollah do and what will happen in the West Bank? These are extremely difficult questions to answer. But no matter what happens, you can’t do this in a few days or a few weeks.”
“What I would do is wait and close first and use the air gun until you are ready to go in. It is a political decision whether to go in or not. That depends on the objective. If that means breaking Hamas so that they cannot influence Israel in the short and medium term, then you will have to enter parts of Gaza. If you do that, it will have major consequences for both parties. That is a war you are going to wage that is the most intensive for both sides.”
Watch the entire broadcast here.
2023-10-11 10:07:30
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