Some 130 IDF reserve officers and commanders, ranging from the rank of lieutenant colonel to major general, who have actively participated in the ongoing war, signed a letter addressed to members of the War Cabinet and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, calling on the cabinet not to allow the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes, as long as 136 hostages are held captive by Hamas. One of the signees of the letter, the commander of the Negev Division, Col. (res.) Ariel Ben Gigi, explained why this may help advance the release of hostages. He also discussed the heavy price that Israel paid to take over those areas, where the IDF found many Hamas terrorist infrastructures.
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Col. (res.) Ben Gigi explained why he signed the officers' letter. "First of all, as a citizen, I think our mission is not over. We continue to be committed to the families, we are committed to the country, far beyond our military role, and therefore I felt a very, very great need to continue working for the return of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas."
He referred to the demand not to return the residents to the northern Gaza Strip. "I think the main achievement that the IDF achieved in the war is actually the evacuation of the population from the north of the Strip, and we have to remember that the defeat of Hamas there is a long way ahead. It is complicated and it allows us an initial strategic asset and besides that there is a lot more to do there," said Col. Ben Gigi.
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IDF patrols north of Jabaliya to dismantle Hamas threat
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"There are many more terrorists there, I can even say thousands, there are many terrorist infrastructures there and this is part of our mission. I think the State of Israel has announced that it wants to return the hostages and defeat Hamas. The return of the residents of Gaza there is morally wrong when thinking about the hostages, but it's also operationally wrong. It will endanger them, it will endanger us, and it will prevent operational freedom in these areas," he added.
Gigi said that he fears that Israel will give in to international pressure and allow the residents to be returned to the northern Gaza Strip, which "we achieved with great effort and of course at the cost of human life," he said.
Lt. Col. Hanoch Hagar, the combat director of the 261st Division, another signee of the letter, explained why the officers decided to contact the Chief of Staff. "After we understood that the IDF had decided to release the reserve forces, we, a number of senior reserve officers, stand united from all ends of the political and social spectrum, and we asked ourselves how we carry on the great spirit we experienced in the last three months, into our civilian lives. It was clear to us that we could not return to the days and events we experienced before October 7. We thought we had the duty to bring the values that characterized the reserve army to civilian life."
He added that the officers chose two central values that accompanied them throughout the days of fighting. "It is about the value of sticking to the mission and striving for victory and the value of unity," he said. "We want to show that these values can also be applied in our daily lives as a people and as a country."
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IDF soldiers and reservists united in securing victory
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
For the past two months, the IDF forces have been holding the Netzarim Corridor between the Gaza River and Gaza City, north of the central towns of al-Boreij and Nuseirat. As part of this mission, the return of Gaza residents to Gaza City and its neighboring towns, including Jabaliyah, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, is prevented. About 150,000 Gazans remain in these areas as they try to return to their daily lives with the opening of the market in Jabaliyah, and close contact with Hamas terrorists. The IDF notices Hamas' attempts to assert control in the area in the face of IDF raids as part of Phase III in the north of the Gaza Strip.
There is no reason for Ahmed to return to Gaza before Ziv and Gali return to Kfar Aza
Without any clear directive from the government regarding the eventual control of the area, the army has no current plans to stop cutting off the northern Gaza Strip. Some of the officers who signed the letter who fought until recently in the northern Gaza Strip or are currently taking part in holding the Netzarim Corridor, are giving orders to the soldiers in the field and managing the fighting in the area.
Hagar said that the residents of the northern Gaza Strip should not be allowed to return to their homes before the release of the 136 Israeli hostages. "We know that we can't complete all of the war's objectives right away and so we ask the Cabinet to allow us to maintain the objective we reached, to maintain control over northern Gaza and evacuate the population," he said.
"The Cabinet must make sure that the IDF completes the task of evacuating the population and make sure that the population does not return to the north as long as the hostages are not returned. We know that it is possible to unite the vast majority of our people around such a clear and immediate task to keep away the disputes and quarrels that are already starting to return. There is no reason for Ahmed to return to Gaza before Ziv and Gali return to Kfar Aza," according to Hagar.