JERUSALEM

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Friday said the goal of its Israel’s war on Gaza to eliminate the group Hamas will not and cannot be achieved, stressing that the war is Netanyahu's own war, not "for the citizens of Israel." 

In an op-ed in Haaretz daily titled "Israel's Choice: Cease-fire Now or Dead Hostages Later," Olmert said although "Gaza is crashing," and thousands have been killed including thousands of Hamas fighters, still "the destruction of Hamas will not be achieved," even if its leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, were to be killed.

He said the Hamas movement will be very weak after the war, "but it will continue to exist on the edge of Gaza."

"Given that this is the true assessment of the situation, we must prepare for a change of direction," said Olmert, who served as Israel’s premier from 2006 to 2009.

"The State of Israel now faces the choice between a cease-fire as part of a deal that may bring home the hostages in the hope that most of them are alive, and a cease-fire with no deal, no hostages, no apparent achievement, with a total loss of the remnants of international public support for the State of Israel's right to exist without terror threats from murder organizations," he warned.

Olmert said a cease-fire or cessation of hostilities will be forced on Israel by its closest allies, including the US, UK, France, and Germany.

He also blasted Netanyahu, saying his goals of the war are unachievable.

He said Netanyahu formulating the goal of eliminating Hamas is meant to pave the way to blame all levels under Netanyahu's management for not doing so before now.

Though the Israeli army is fighting in Gaza and has suffered heavy casualties, there is no chance of achieving Netanyahu's announced goals, and "there won't be destruction of Hamas," he wrote.

Since Oct. 7, the Israeli army has been waging a destructive war on Gaza, resulting in, until Friday morning, 20,057 deaths and 53,320 wounded, most of them children and women. This has caused immense damage to infrastructure and an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to Palestinian and international sources.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar