Khaberni - Israeli occupation army general Giora Eiland, a former head of the National Security Council and the proponent of what is known as the "Generals' Plan," said the return of Israeli prisoners from Gaza "will bring national joy," however, the failure to recover the bodies of the twenty-eight dead "will obscure the sense of victory and leave a heavy burden on the state and families."
Eiland explained that the agreement signed with Hamas is an "encouraging and joyful event," but he warned that "three main issues could dissipate the joy of victory." He pointed out that the first of these issues is the death of 28 soldiers of the occupation forces, "and it is clear that Hamas is not interested in returning them, as it gains more benefits from living prisoners." He added, "The international force including Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, tasked with identifying the locations of the kidnapped dead, will not have real motivation to exert effort in this file, leaving their families in complete isolation, as happened with the Goldin and Shaul families."
He continued that the second issue relates to the second phase of the Trump plan, which stipulates the disarmament of Hamas and transferring the administration of the Gaza Strip to another body, explaining that there is a clear gap between "the celebrations at the end of the war" attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, and "what is written in the plan itself," adding: "It seems that no party, including the United States, is prepared to exert real pressure on Hamas to disarm." He pointed out that if this phase is not implemented, "the Israeli army will remain deployed along the modified Yellow Line, meaning continued friction with the residents of Gaza, with the armed groups able to attempt to harm Israeli defenses, while Israel will not be allowed to respond offensively."
Eiland added that the risk of reconstructing Gaza without implementing disarmament is the third and most serious issue, considering that "reconstruction of the sector represents an Israeli concession that should not be granted unless the tunnels and rocket factories are dismantled and weapons completely collected." He referred to a conference held in Paris to discuss reconstruction that might lead to "Hamas being revitalized," adding: "If Gaza is rebuilt and prospers without disarming, we will face a threat similar to what happened in July 2023, when Hamas built its strength amid the reconstruction and prosperity of the sector with significant funds."
Eiland emphasized that "Israel must insist on not starting any reconstruction process before implementing the second phase of the Trump plan," benefiting from "its control over all crossings leading to Gaza, including the Rafah crossing," warning that "compromising on this condition will convert the deal into a prisoner exchange only, without security gains."
The Israeli general concluded by saying: "If the government succeeds in implementing the second phase of the plan, it will be able to claim that it has achieved a much greater accomplishment than was possible last year, when it rejected a similar agreement that Hamas had proposed, leading to the death of dozens of soldiers and deterioration of the conditions of living prisoners and the disappearance of some of the dead beneath the rubble of houses in Gaza."
