JERUSALEM – Israel’s Moshe Feiglin delivered a blunt critique of the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire during an interview on Channel 14, calling the deal a strategic failure.
“From the very start, there was no intention to win this war. It’s just going to be an upgraded round, unless there’s a Dresden in Gaza immediately.”
Feiglin said the government’s approach rewards Hamas rather than securing victory.
“All those pictures of destroyed Gaza only interest Hamas like last year’s fish. This ended in our defeat. Let’s tell the truth.”
He warned of broader regional consequences.
“Back to square one, not just Iran in Gaza but also Turkey and Egypt in Gaza, and a Palestinian state in the background.”
Feiglin was critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership style.
“Netanyahu is a firefighter. He’s not a prime minister. He puts out fires. No vision, just how to go back, how to put out the current flames and get to midnight.”
Despite his criticism, Feiglin acknowledged the necessity of ending hostilities to prevent further deaths.
“Clearly, there was no choice but to go into this deal and not drag it out for two more years and another 900 unnecessary deaths. Clearly, in this situation, after deciding not to win, you had to end it. It’s good it ended.”
He proposed an alternative strategy if he were in charge.
“I wouldn’t send in troops. I’d just shut off the water. That’s it. After a week, it’s all over. Shutting off the fuel and air in the tunnels doesn’t require weapons.”
Feiglin framed the Gaza deal as a failure of Israeli leadership to assert its territorial rights.
“We can’t say: this is our land, Gaza is ours, we’re right in this story. All we could do was give UN speeches with a QR code: ‘Check out how miserable we are, what they did to our hostages.’ But what about some justice in this story?”
He concluded with a stark warning about Israel’s strategic position.
“We’re currently at the lowest point Israel has been since its founding. In Israel or the Middle East, it’s either you sit down to the feast, or you’re on the menu. Tonight, we’re on the menu for everyone who seeks our lives, near and far. This is the result of the past two years.”
The interview underscores dissenting voices in Israeli politics, with figures like Feiglin warning that the Trump-brokered ceasefire may compromise Israel’s long-term security while delivering only immediate humanitarian and hostage-related gains.
This article is based on verified information from the Channel 14 interview transcript.