Surrender is out of the question: Israel is going to eliminate Sinwar and Muhammad Daf Rami Igra

Rami Igra is a senior member of the former Mossad, who, among other duties, also served as the head of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Division. Maariv sought to understand from his point of view the expected moves in the Gaza Strip, in the war, regarding the captives and the "day after" issue.

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"Rafih is not Stalingrad", Igra declares at the beginning of his words and explains: "If we conquer Rafih, it does not mean that the war is over. It is not that if we hit four battalions there, the war is over and we have reached a complete victory." The former Mossad man claims that the occupation of Rafah will have a tactical significance at most, the occupation of Rafah for him, should be a means to achieve another, more important goal. For him, the capture, the elimination of the duo Muhammad Daf and Yahya Sinwar, has a much greater military significance, that is, if the entry into Rafah does not bring the achievement of their elimination, the conquest of Rafah will be another of a series of achievements similar to taking control of Shati, Deir al-Balah, or any other area.

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Regarding the negotiations that have been going on in recent months for the release of the abductees, in his understanding "it is mainly an American and Qatari (and a little bit Egyptian) attempt to prepare a taste that Hamas will be ready to swallow. Each time they prepared a different taste, with different spices, with the addition of one or another key and presented it to Hamas, He stood his ground." Igra emphasizes that Hamas did not compromise on the matter, "Hamas has a strategic asset called hostages, this asset it is willing to convert only with Israeli surrender, only with Israel stopping the fighting, withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and assisting in the rehabilitation of Gaza." Igra expands: "At one time or another, Hamas has added other tricks to the recipe, including control of Al Aqsa and a commitment not to harm the leaders of Hamas, whoever they are."

Igra is firm: "As much as we want abductees now hocus pocus, we can't do it. For the simple reason, where will the abductees return? They will return to the Gaza Strip where Hamas is opposite, where they continue to shoot at them from time to time, where there are fire balloons and for how long There are riots on the fence, and every few years when they feel like it, they raid and kill and rape."

Igra repeats his words and expands: "We cannot do this thing! The meaning and consequences of this surrender in his eyes are not only for the Gaza Strip, it is also for the Kfar Saba Strip, the Bat Hefer Strip, along the entire line between the State of Israel and Judea and Samaria where the situation is no less bad and no less Dangerous. If you look at the processions that were in Tulkarm last week, and think about what is happening that these people are breaking into Bat Hefer. The state of Israel cannot agree to this surrender even for practical reasons in Gaza, and this will also resonate in the Middle East and greatly strengthen the jihad movement that aims to destroy the state. Israel".

Igra believes that what can be done is to establish an alternative government to the Hamas government in Gaza. Igra is angry: "It can't be that on the one hand our tanks control the area and a meter next to it there are policemen on behalf of Hamas walking around. Our tanks control and Hamas distributes the food, our tanks control but the administration is by Hamas." He contributes from his experience in understanding the enemy: "Hazati is looking and not only Hazati, also Hebron and Tol Karmi and the one from Jenin, they see that the State of Israel succeeded in hitting Hamas militarily, destroying real estate but Hamas is alive and well. Live and exist, live and kick, live and rule."

Contrary to other securityists , who hold the opinion that the IDF should also rule the occupied territory civilianly, Igra is one of those who believe that a Palestinian state should manage Gaza. According to him, "the least evil is a Palestinian state led by a reformed, upgraded, orderly Palestinian Authority, along with the Gulf countries." Igra believes that "as long as this paradigm does not change, Hamas lives kicking and dominates and we lost the war."

Igra knows and also admits that the Palestinian Authority does not have the power to manage Gaza alone, yet believes that the announcement by the government today that the Palestinian Authority will enter Gaza, has value also for calming the riots in universities in America. "Suddenly these students will find themselves between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. It's no longer Palestine, it's no longer between the sea and the river, it's between the jihadist organization and the nationalist authority." In his opinion, such a declaration is prevented due to the composition of the government.