Retired Israeli Navy commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eliezer “Chayni” Marom, who served until recently as Israel’s Northern Project Coordinator, raised his concerns over Israel’s current ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, fearing hidden concessions, a Friday Maariv report revealed.
Marom spoke to Ron Kofman and Aryeh Eldad on 103FM Radio. The conversation also included a discussion about recent remarks made by US President Donald Trump and the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
Doubts over the ceasefire agreement
Regarding the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which is currently in its first stage, Marom expressed concern over possible undisclosed concessions in the hostage deal.
“I hope there is nothing in this agreement that allows Hamas to remain in power. Their sudden generosity over the past week, after the Netzarim incident, when Israel closed the border crossing because they refused to transfer [recently released hostage Arbel] Yehoud to us, raised my suspicions,” he stated.
Marom further questioned whether Israel may have unknowingly compromised on some details that would allow Hamas to remain in power.
Marom then raised a question, asking, “What’s in this agreement that we haven’t been told? Hamas is acting like they got far more than what’s been made public, and that deeply concerns me.”
He admitted he himself was not in the loop, and had no idea if there were undisclosed elements of the deal.
However, Marom attributed the deal’s success to Israel’s strong approach to negotiations, saying, “At the end of the day, what protected us was that the State of Israel stood firm. Because we refused to concede, things played out in our favor.
Trump’s Gaza plan
Marom also responded to Trump’s comments on Gaza, in which the recently inaugurated president suggested mass voluntary displacement from the Strip.
“I don’t think it will ever be possible to relocate all the residents of the Gaza Strip. That just won’t happen—except by force, and we don’t want to do that. The American proposal assumes people will simply pack their things and leave voluntarily,” Marom explained.
He noted Gaza’s potential but implied that the risks weren’t worth any pitfalls.
“Gaza is a remarkable piece of land. Back when we had a radar station there, I saw the beaches—I’ve never seen anything like them, with that kind of sand. There is real potential here, but we’re not living in a fantasy. There are two million Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
The Lebanon Ceasefire: A Strategic Mistake?
On the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, Marom voiced deep concerns over Israel’s approach, saying, “I have no idea how the State of Israel ended up agreeing to this deal. If we had simply run a basic war-game simulation, we would have realized that we were walking into a trap. Why? Because we locked ourselves into a fixed deadline.”
He then explained further that Israel should have said, “Look, there was already an agreement in 2006. No one has enforced it since then. So we’re holding strategic positions in the North, and we will enforce the agreement ourselves. Bring us an actual mechanism to uphold the deal, and then we’ll move back to the border.”
“Until then—we stay.”
Iran and Hezbollah’s Long-Term Strategy
Marom also pointed to Iran’s influence in Lebanon, describing Hezbollah as merely a tool for the country’s regional ambition.
“This isn’t Hezbollah, it’s Iran pulling the strings. Iran plays the long game. Over the past 60 days, we’ve bombed targets across Lebanon, except for Beirut. We struck the Beqaa Valley several times, and they didn’t fire back. Why? Because their strategy is patience,” Marom said.
He then added that “their thinking is: Let the Israelis bomb, let them stay 60 days—because when they leave, we’ll rebuild. And now, because of this deal, we must leave on February 18. There’s a fixed date. We signed it.”
Marom also issued a final warning about Hezbollah’s inevitable rearmament, stating, “We cannot stop Hezbollah from rearming. The Iranians are strategic, patient, and persistent. They will do whatever it takes to maintain control. For them, this is about religion and ideology, and they are in it for the long haul.
“Once we pull back to the border, they will start rebuilding exactly like they did before,” he said.
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