Rift among Israeli officials on how to run war and free captives from Gaza

A member of Israel's War Cabinet has cast doubt on the country's strategy for releasing captives held in besieged Gaza, saying only a ceasefire can free them, as the prime minister rejected calls to scale back its brutal war on the blockaded enclave.

The comments by Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, marked the latest sign of disagreement among top Israeli officials over the direction of the war on besieged Gaza, now in its fourth month.

In his first public statements on the course of the war, Eisenkot said that claims the dozens of captives could be freed by means other than a ceasefire amounted to spreading "illusions" — an implicit criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads the five-member War Cabinet and who insists that pursuing the war will win their release.

Eisenkot's statements came as some relatives of captives have intensified their protests, a sign of mounting frustration over the far-right government's lack of military progress in Gaza and failure toward a deal to release the remaining captives.

Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have said the fighting will continue until Hamas resistance group is crushed, and argue that only military action can win the captives' release.

But commentators and analysts have begun to question whether Netanyahu's objectives are realistic, given the war entering its 106th day, Palestinian fighters giving tough resistance to invading forces and growing international criticism, including genocide accusations against Tel Aviv at the United Nations World Court.

Critics accuse Netanyahu of trying to avoid looming investigations of governmental failures, keep his coalition intact and put off elections.

Polls show that the popularity of Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has plummeted during the war.

'Illusions'

Speaking to the investigative programme "Uvda" on Israel's Channel 12 television, Eisenkot said the Israeli captives "will only return alive if there is a deal, linked to a significant pause in fighting."

He said dramatic rescue operations are unlikely because the captives are apparently spread out, many of them in underground tunnels.

Claiming captives can be freed by means other than a deal "is to spread illusions," said Eisenkot, whose son was killed in December while fighting in Gaza.

Captives' families have grown increasingly frustrated with the far-right government.

The father of one captive began a hunger strike on Friday night outside Netanyahu's private residence in the coastal town of Caesarea, pledging to eat only a quarter of a pita a day — the reported daily meal of the captives — until the prime minister agrees to meet with him.

The day before, rifle-toting Israeli police scuffled with protesters who blocked a major highway in Tel Aviv to call for an immediate deal to release the captives.

Police detained seven protesters overnight, according to Israeli media.

Eisenkot also dismissed suggestions that the military has delivered a decisive blow against Hamas.

"We haven't yet reached a strategic achievement, or rather only partially," Eisenkot said. "We did not bring down Hamas."

The resistance group has continued to fight back across besieged Gaza, even in the most devastated areas.

In his interview, Eisenkot also confirmed that a preemptive strike against Lebanon's Hezbollah was called off at the last minute during the early days of the war.

He said he was among those arguing against such a strike in an October 11 Cabinet meeting that he said left him hoarse from shouting.

Such an attack would have been a "strategic mistake" and would likely have triggered a regional war, Eisenkot said.

Criticism of war's direction

In a thinly veiled criticism of Netanyahu, Eisenkot also said strategic decisions about the war's direction must be made urgently and that a discussion about an endgame should have started immediately after the war began.

He said he examines every day whether he should remain in the War Cabinet, which also includes Netanyahu, Gallant, former defense minister Benny Gantz and Ron Dermer, strategic affairs minister in the Netanyahu government.

Eisenkot is a parliament member from the opposition National Unity alliance headed by Gantz. "I know what my red line is," Eisenkot said when asked at what point he would quit.

"It’s connected to the hostages, that is one of the objectives, but it’s also connected to the way in which we need to run this war."

The war has rippled across the Middle East. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon threatens to erupt into all-out war, and Yemen's Houthis continue to target international shipping despite US-led air strikes.