FALCON POWERS – Reserve Major General Isaac Brik stated that the Israeli army is far from achieving victory in Gaza, and that Hamas fighters are still in the tunnels, having stockpiled supplies for two years.
This was mentioned in an interview with the Hebrew newspaper Ma’ariv on Wednesday, where Brik, who previously served as head of the Israeli Army Complaints Commission, added that “the Israeli army is lying about the destruction of tunnels in Gaza,” noting that “most of them are still under Hamas control, and the army struggles to maintain control over the territory for an extended period as its forces have significantly diminished.”
He emphasized that claims about destroying tunnels in Gaza are “lies,” describing Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi as a “failure” who has lost the trust of the army’s top leadership and should have resigned.
Brik further stated, “Hamas is present inside the tunnels, contrary to what the Israeli army claims about destroying 50 percent of them,” pointing out that the fighters have gathered food for the next two years.
With U.S. support, Israel has been conducting a campaign of mass extermination in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 144,000 Palestinian dead and injured, most of whom are children and women, along with more than 10,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and famine, marking one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.
Brik continued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a prisoner to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party.
He added that Israel is “in a state of collapse in terms of both economy and society, and we have a problem with the international community that we are losing.”
He warned that Israel’s main problem lies in the significant reduction of the army over the past decades, which means it cannot retain territories for long periods.
This comes at a time when Chief of Staff Halevi called on Wednesday for an increase in the number of soldiers, both from reserves and regular forces.
Channel 12 reported on Wednesday that Halevi “emphasized the need for a larger number of regular and reserve forces in the army.” The channel noted that “the Chief of Staff’s remarks came in response to the internal crisis regarding the conscription law for Haredim (religious Jews) in the Israeli army.”
On July 29, the Israeli army issued call-up orders for a thousand Haredim, in a move aimed at bolstering the army’s ranks. Initially, 3,000 young Haredim were supposed to be drafted in 2024, with plans to enlist 4,800 in both 2025 and 2026, but very few have responded to the draft orders.
Senior rabbis, whose statements are viewed as religious edicts for the Haredim, are calling for “refusal to enlist and tearing up call-up orders.”
Haredim make up about 13 percent of Israel’s population of approximately 10 million, and they do not serve in the army, claiming they dedicate their lives to studying the Torah and viewing integration into the secular world as a threat to their religious identity and the continuity of their community.
