December 31, 2024 Kislev 5785

To: The Honorable Minister of Defense Israel K*

Dear Sir/Madam,

Subject: The Operational Plan in the Gaza Strip

We are addressing you, as members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to re-evaluate the operational plan for the fighting in the Gaza Strip, given the severe outcomes so far and the expectation for continuation. We detail as follows:

The operational activity in the Gaza Strip, as presented to us in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by the previous Minister of Defense before the ground operation began on 27.10.23, and as it has been executed since then in the field, does not allow for the achievement of the war goals as defined by the political echelon: the collapse of Hamas's governance and military capabilities, which indeed have not been realized to this day, despite the small area and against an enemy that does not possess the tools and capabilities of a modern army. As stated publicly by the Chief of Staff, the IDF operates with a method of focused raids, a method lacking the central component in guerrilla warfare of this type - control. Effective control over the area and population is the only basis for clearing enemy nests from the strip and, of course, for a decisive victory rather than a war of attrition where Israel is the primary side exhausted. Therefore, we keep sending our soldiers back into neighborhoods and alleys that have already been conquered multiple times, places which the IDF commanders have declared as areas where Hamas battalions have been dismantled and cleared of enemies. Yet, in these same places, we are paying a terrible and unbearable blood price. From October 6, 2024, in the northern Gaza Strip, south of the Mefalsim axis, an operation in a different direction began which included encirclement and evacuation of the population southwards. We all hoped this would be the beginning of military actions that would bring the necessary change, but it seems this operation is not being carried out properly: meaning, after the encirclement and humanitarian evacuation, the IDF does not treat those who remain as enemies, as is customary in international law and in all Western armies, and again endangers the lives of our soldiers by entering built-up and complex areas. After the encirclement and evacuation of the population, the directives to the IDF should be clear: (1) Remote destruction of all energy sources, namely fuel, solar facilities, and all relevant means (pipes, cables, generators, etc.). (2) Destruction of all food sources including warehouses, water, and all relevant means (water pumps, etc.). (3) Remote elimination of anyone moving in the area who does not come out with a white flag during the days of effective siege. After these actions and days of siege on those who remain, the IDF should gradually enter for a complete clearance of enemy nests. This should be done in the northern part of the strip and similarly in any other area: encirclement, population evacuation to a humanitarian zone, and an effective siege until surrender or complete elimination of the enemy. This is how every army operates, and this is how the Israel Defense Forces should operate as well.

Despite repeated questions and requests in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, we have not received satisfactory answers from the IDF representatives in the committee to this day, why they are not acting as required and defining the defeat of Hamas as the operational endpoint of the fighting, and what are the plans for the continuation. Therefore, we request your immediate intervention in responding to these questions and providing appropriate directives to the IDF to reach a decision and stop endangering our soldiers' lives without justification.

Copy to: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Yuli Edelstein

This is letter was signed by - Amit Halevy, Likud - Nissim Vaturi, Likud, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset - Ariel Kellner, Likud - Osher Shekalim, Religious Zionism - Zvi Sukkot, Religious Zionism - Ohad Tal, Religious Zionism - Limor Son Har-Melech, Jewish Power - Avraham Bezalel, Jewish Power All are members of the Knesset and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee