Former IDF deputy chief Maj. Gen. Matan Vilnai recently addressed the hostages in an interview on 104.5FM radio.
When asked if there is a possibility that live or dead captives will be transferred to Sinai, Vilnai replied, “Anything is possible. Technically, it is possible to transfer hostages from Gaza to the Egyptian side through the tunnels in the Philadelphi Corridor. If Hamas thinks this would work, they will do it. Egypt has an interest in helping us, but theoretically, it could happen.”
Vilnai later explained aspects of the Philadelphi Corridor by stating, “The Philadelphi Corridor is on the border between the Gaza Strip and Sinai. It is divided between Palestinian Rafah and Egyptian Rafah. There is no simple solution. Full coordination with the Egyptians is needed. From what little I know, the Egyptians have behaved until now. Controlling the corridor presents other difficulties.”
Regarding the development of the war in Rafah, Vilnai claimed, “Currently, this is combat against the last remaining Hamas battalions. We need to strike them and dismantle them within a dense population. It is clear that there will be casualties. The IDF is not doing this intentionally and these actions are under global scrutiny. I saw the aerial footage. The army acted correctly and there were secondary explosions of Hamas armaments and they caused this disaster.”
“The Central Command is also dealing with concerns about infiltrations by terrorists from the Judea and Samaria territories into Sharon. This is a time bomb and it’s just a matter of time until it explodes. Until now, the Central Command has been operating very successfully. The potential for infiltration from Judea and Samaria is much greater than the potential in Gaza, mainly because it poses a direct threat to Israel. If we handle it wisely, it won’t happen. If we handle it foolishly, it will happen. This is a very problematic front and the Israeli government needs to address it in depth.”
Israel’s priorities are misguided
“Releasing the hostages should be our top priority. It should have been dealt with before going to war,” Vilnai emphasized.
He also called for an immediate cessation of the war. “If we had an intelligent government, it would have brought them home by now. Once the hostages are in our hands, we can focus on obliterating Hamas completely. I belong to a minority that doesn’t understand why they evacuated the North. We never evacuated a single settlement. Now we need to respond to the continuous rocket fire. In this situation, it continues to be impossible to bring back the residents.”
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