MK Benny Gantz, chairman of the Blue and White-National Unity faction, has revealed details about American efforts to prevent Israel from taking military action in the Gaza Strip following the October 7, 2023 attack.
In an interview on Raz Shechnik’s podcast, Gantz said that the administration of then-President Joe Biden sent four senior officers to Israel in an effort to dissuade the Israeli leadership from launching a military operation in the Gaza Strip, arguing that such an operation could fail in a manner similar to the difficulties encountered by American forces in Fallujah, Iraq.
Gantz said that he rejected the position of the four American generals, stressing that Israel had no choice but to take forceful military action in the Gaza Strip in response to the attack and as part of the effort to free the hostages.
Two days after the October 7, 2023 attack, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken published a post on X in which he said that he had expressed support for Turkey’s position calling for a ceasefire and the immediate release of all the hostages.
The post was interpreted as indicating opposition by the U.S. administration to military action in the Gaza Strip and was deleted following public criticism.