NIF CEO: “We are Appalled by the Plan to Reoccupy Gaza”

In response to the news that the Israeli government has decided to re-occupy Gaza, New Israel Fund CEO Daniel Sokatch released the following statement:

NIF is appalled by the announcement by Israel’s security cabinet that it will go along with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s scheme to fully re-occupy Gaza. The move is opposed by none other than the chief of staff of the IDF who indicated there was no strategic merit to the plan. He warned Netanyahu that it risks both the death of the hostages and miring Israel in an endless war in Gaza. Perhaps most horrifying, reoccupying Gaza will inevitably cause additional untold suffering to civilians—children first among them— and will almost certainly prolong and increase starvation.

We join those opposing this move, including former Shin Bet heads, Mossad chiefs, heads of military intelligence, police commissioners, and multiple IDF Chiefs of staff. We stand with the families of those still held hostage in Gaza who have said that invading and occupying the rest of Gaza is a death sentence for their loved ones. We stand with the human rights and diplomatic community leaders who have said that this will only serve to multiply the destruction, suffering, and starvation already underway across the Strip. And we share the outrage and concern of so many who have pointed out that continued military action in Gaza ultimately serves the purposes of only one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

We stand with all those—in the American Jewish community and in Israel—who are standing up to this government, saying no, and demanding a better future for all.