“Manufacturing new targets”

As the world closely monitors the dire plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, questions arise regarding Israel’s long-term intentions. Are the regime’s actions merely in retaliation, culminating in the indiscriminate massacre of civilians, or does it harbor further calculated strategies?

The Tehran Times has obtained audio files from a meeting attended by several high-ranking military and political figures of Israel, which seems to shed light on the regime’s future plans for the embattled Gaza Strip. One notable presence at this gathering was Aviv Kohavi, an Israeli general who served as the 22nd Chief of General Staff of the Israeli military from 2019 to January 2023.

Before becoming a military chief, Kohavi served as the commander of the Gaza Division which, since the 6-day war in 1967, has been given the task of protecting Israeli interests against resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip and the surrounding areas. The man has also served as the commander of Israel’s notorious military spy agency, Aman.

In the audio attained by the Tehran Times, Kohavi opens the discussion by asserting Israel’s capability to dismantle Hamas' military and administrative infrastructure in Gaza. “Let me begin by saying or advocating that we can annihilate the military and governmental infrastructure of Hamas,” he said. He acknowledges, however, the resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian spirit, stating: “Yes, we cannot take out from the minds of Palestinians the very notion of Islamic brotherhood and radical Islam, or other stuff. But on the other side we can root out the military infrastructure and the governmental infrastructure”.

In a bid to capture the majority of Hamas fighters, Kohavi advocates for comprehensive Israeli control over every inch of Gaza. “We have systematic ways to manufacture new targets. Actually, we are very good at manufacturing new targets and this is an ongoing process while fighting …we have the troops, we have the capabilities, and we have to counter and spread out our forces. We have to cover the territory with our forces in order to find, I won’t say each and every one, but most of those terrorists in this infrastructure”.

Kohavi’s words most recently manifested in Israel’s raid on Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital. At the time of writing this article, the regime’s forces still have trapped over 7,000 people trapped inside the compound. As the hospital’s director has explained, the place has turned into a “big prison” and “massive grave” for the ones inside. It was reported that 22 people sheltering there were killed by overnight Israeli fire on November 16. Dozens more were killed prior to that date.

Israel claims the Al-Shifa hospital is Hamas’ biggest center in Gaza. But it has so far failed to find any military weapons or traces of the Hamas fighters in the site.

Nonetheless, the military figure’s remarks seem to neglect the so far unimpressive conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza. Reports by resistance forces, which contain substantiated videos and pictures, as well as satellite images from northern Gaza show the regime has so far sustained significant losses on the battleground. The Israeli military lost 23 percent of its 383 armored vehicles in just five days of fighting. The regime’s tanks have also been targeted by Yemeni drones and Lebanese fire, resulting in casualties among Israeli soldiers.

freedom to commit atrocities gives regime reassurance

But Kohavi’s confidence that Israel will be able to take over Gaza lies in the relentless airstrikes against civilians in the besieged Palestinian territory. It has dropped more than 18,000 tons of bombs on Gaza so far, killing more than 11,000 Palestinians - mostly women, children and elderly people. Despite Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims that he is doing his utmost to limit civilian losses, the audio obtained by the Tehran Times discloses the regime’s callous disregard for civilian lives. “We are using one-ton bombs and we are dropping 400 of them every night,” the military figure admits.

In an attempt to persuade the participants about Israel’s ability to take over Gaza and eradicate Hamas, Kohavi draws parallels with the regime’s capture of the West Bank in 2002. “So many people were skeptical about our capability to root out the Palestinian terrorism from Judea and Samaria,” he said, adding that Israel’s capture of the area and consolidation of power in the region took more than three years. “I’m not saying we need three years [to capture Gaza] but we can’t complete the mission after three months”.

Kohavi also emphasizes the importance of securing the United States’ support and patience for Israel to fulfill its objectives in bringing Gaza to its knees.

In addition to his comments, the former general characterizes the current situation in the occupied territories as a "chronic disease," warning it’s only a matter of time before Israelis decide that they no longer want to live in the so-called “holy land” for Jews. He emphasizes the potential for a mass exodus, suggesting, “They will leave the country! They will leave the country or they won’t go to the northern Galilee or the southern parts of the state of Israel”. As reported by Israeli media, more than 230,000 Israelis had already left the occupied territories by early November.

Other remarks made by Kohavi are reminiscent of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s assessment of the situation in Israel. In Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s words, the October 7 attack on Israel has caused the regime to suffer an “irreparable” blow. “We are in inflection point in the history of the Jewish people,” said the Israeli figure in the audio obtained by the Tehran Times.