Posted on 05/04/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi spoke about a military operation in Rafah, stressing that, "the decision has been made - the question is not if, but when."
Speaking to Israel's "Meet the Press" program, Hanegbi said, "Sinwar is living on borrowed time."
"He escaped from one burrow to the next, we were very close to him. There are those who would say that we were incredibly close, at one point. Maybe even less than a few days."
Comparing Sinwar to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was eliminated by US forces in 2011, Hanegbi promised that Sinwar "won't come out alive," but added that "patience is necessary."
"When we say that we are 'a step away from complete victory,' we need to understand what that means," Hanegbi said. "These are three ambitious goals, but we will achieve them. The first goal is to create the conditions to return the hostages. Over half of them have already returned, and we are fighting and praying for the lives of every single one of those who remain - and hope that the deal will save lives. We will achieve the second goal, of destroying Hamas' governing and military abilities. The third goal, which is of utmost importance, is to ensure that Gaza will never present a threat such as this, of massacring Israelis."
Regarding the threats from right-wing parties in the coalition that a deal which would bring potentially dozens of hostages home would lead to the government collapsing, Hanegbi asked the public to examine "actions," not "words."
"Did the Prime Minister give a green light ot the negotiations team to advance the deal, knowing that it could be that it would have political consequences? We know that the answer is yes," he said.