Conditions the Biden administration is reportedly putting on Israel to resume its military operation against Hamas after the cease-fire while ensuring Palestinian civilians are not harmed are counterproductive, retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Tuesday.
U.S. officials have reportedly told Israel that “you cannot have the scale of displacement [among Palestinian civilians] that took place in the north [part of Gaza] replicated in the south.”
When asked if this means there have been changes to the clear military objective after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of more than 1,000 Israelis to eliminate the terrorist organization and its ability to wage war against Israel from Gaza, Holt told Newsmax's "Wake Up America" that "Hamas wants it to change, but it should not change."
He emphasized that "when you have a military mission, then political people [need] to stay out of the way and let the military do its job, and you don't put more complications on them as they try to do their job."
Holt insisted that "Hamas gains an advantage every single day of the cease-fire. It becomes much more survivable."
The brigadier general said what needs to happen with the hostages "is a Delta Force/Israeli special forces mission that's waiting to be unleashed. because if we want to save these people we have to ... otherwise Hamas knows it's going to be the end of the line ... are we going to just let this play out to a very bad place .... or attempt a rescue?
Holt said that trying to get more hostages out with deals and extending the cease-fire " is going to be very dicey for [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu now," especially since the IDF and the Israeli people agree that Hamas can no longer exist because "look at the precedent that has been set."
Holt said, "Are we going to live in a world where 200 hostages are going to be taken after a day of butchery and that's the new standard? And we are going to give you three terrorists for every innocent person?"
He emphasized that "right now we are just looking at the lowest depravity that humanity can be ... you know how terrible it is that we always seem to come up with clichés or parallels to Nazi Germany? Well, this one is real."
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Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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