Former Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces Benny Gantz, who was part of the wartime cabinet until June, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called for a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Israel does not need to keep troops in the Philadelphia Corridor, Gantz said at a press conference yesterday.
A day earlier, Netanyahu said it was key for the country to maintain control of this strip along the Gaza-Egypt border.
"Hamas" however, is firmly against this scenario. This is one of the reasons why a truce has not been concluded that would allow the release of the people who remain captives of the Palestinian Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli government "Hamas" continues to hold 101 hostages, according to Reuters.
Gantz, for his part, stressed that the greatest existential threat to Israel is Iran, not the Philadelphia Corridor. The presence of Israeli soldiers above ground will not stop arms smuggling through underground tunnels, he argued, and rejected Netanyahu's argument that international pressure would not allow the Israeli army to return to that strip if necessary.
The former Israeli defense minister called for early parliamentary elections.
The general from the reserve, turned political centrist, is considered the main opponent of the right-wing prime minister.
Gantz also called for an attack on ``Hezbollah'' to end daily rocket fire from southern Lebanon, allowing displaced people in northern Israel to return to their homes.
Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who is from the right-wing party "Likud" of Netanyahu, but has differences with him, calling for a truce, also called for military action to normalize the situation in the border area with Lebanon.