Cabinet member and former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief, Minister Avi Dichter, stated that the ceasefire reached by Israel is intended solely as preparation for the next phase: the dismantling of Hamas.
“The war is not over. We’re in a ceasefire to prepare for the next stage. If necessary, the pause will disappear within minutes,” Dichter said at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) conference in Tel Aviv.
He asserted that Hamas will never voluntarily disarm. “The likelihood of Hamas laying down its weapons is about the same as Israel winning the World Cup. Without weapons, there is no Hamas.”
Dichter warned that Hamas is attempting to buy time, studying Hezbollah’s tactics in Lebanon while stalling on the issue of returning the bodies of hostages. “The war will not end until all seven hostages are returned. We will not tolerate games.”
He emphasized Israel’s obligation to combat delays and manipulations surrounding the return of the missing.
Addressing Gaza’s political future, Dichter made clear that the territory must not be handed over to the Palestinian Authority. “Giving the milk to the cat? That won’t happen.”
He also noted that Israel’s current position allows for the advancement of regional shifts on multiple fronts – from strengthening deterrence to expanding the Abraham Accords – and stressed the opportunity to leverage momentum to reshape Israel’s strategic standing in the region.
