Gadi Eisenkot Demands Netanyahu Immediately Release War Aims Documents

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the National Unity party, has issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding the immediate public release of the original documents outlining the war's objectives as approved in the early days of the conflict. Eisenkot's demand, made via an official statement on Tuesday, stems from his assertion that the government initially excluded the return of hostages from the official war aims.

Eisenkot stated in a radio interview that the government ignored the issue of hostages when formulating the war's objectives. He claims the return of hostages was only added on October 16, 2023, following his own insistence, and was not part of the initial objectives set after the October 7th Hamas attack. He also alleged that Netanyahu received intelligence warnings about an impending attack in mid-September, accusing the Prime Minister of "selling the security of the State of Israel."

The Likud party vehemently denies Eisenkot's claims, accusing him of distorting facts for political gain as elections approach. A Likud response stated that the return of hostages was defined as a goal even before Eisenkot joined the government. They further alleged that Eisenkot is employing "a series of lies" to conceal his prior opposition to decisive military actions in Gaza and other areas.