Israeli military chief admits ‘heavy price' in Gaza, failure to bring home all hostages

Israel's military chief acknowledged Wednesday that Israel has suffered significant human losses in Gaza without securing the release of all Israeli hostages held there, ostensibly one of the main goals of the relentless offensive.

The admission by Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir came during a Southern Command change of command ceremony at a combat site in Gaza, according to an Israeli military statement.

“The war is still ongoing. It is complex and difficult. We have paid a heavy price. Hostages have yet to be returned, and not all evacuated civilians have been able to return home,” Zamir said, adding that the objectives remain unchanged. He stressed the need to persist in the campaign “to ensure victory and achieve a new security reality – one that guarantees long-term security for the citizens of Israel.”

Zamir underscored the military's commitment to exhausting all efforts to retrieve captives and secure border communities, calling each rescue operation “a top priority.”

He framed the fighting as “a war for our very existence – a war for our home” against a “ruthless enemy; if it is not defeated, it will attempt the same attack again," the statement added.

Many families of Israeli hostages have charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is more interested in prolonging the war for political benefit than freeing the hostages.

Salama Marouf, head of the Gaza Government Media Office, reported Tuesday that Israeli forces have killed 137 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire began on Jan. 19.

-'Failure'

Israel has threatened to resume fighting if ceasefire and prisoner swap talks with Hamas falter, having reneged on parts of the initial 42-day truce and refusing to enter phase two, which requires ending the war and withdrawing from Gaza. Hamas insists on enforcing the full agreement, urging mediators to launch phase two talks immediately.

Outgoing Southern Command head Yaron Finkelman admitted during the ceremony to failing to thwart Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack. “Hamas took us by surprise. The Southern Command did not fulfill its mission – we failed, I failed to defend the western Negev and its residents.”

“That failure is etched into me as a commander and as a person for the rest of my life,” he added.

Yaniv Asor, his successor, vowed to focus on “completely eradicating Hamas elements and returning Israeli captives, the living and the fallen.”

Israeli officials called Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack a political, security, and intelligence failure, prompting resignations.

Some 50,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since October 2023. The onslaught was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal which began in January.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.