(NewsNation) — If Israel wants to be successful in its fight against Hamas, retired Gen. David Petraeus says the country needs to outline a “vision for the future” of Palestinians in Gaza once the war is over.
“I know that they’re trying to work out who … and what will administer Gaza in the wake of the destruction of Hamas and it’s political wing,” Petraeus said Thursday on “CUOMO.” “I’m not sure that they’re going to find someone whose hand goes up who can be competent and capable and will give them the confidence that they could hand off to that entity.”
Israeli has been engaged in heavy aerial bombardments of the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack carried out by Hamas. Militants broke through the wall that separates Gaza and Israel and tore through kibbutzim, killing more than 1,400 people and taking some 250 people hostage.
Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas from Gaza and says the group — a designated terrorist organization by both the U.S. and Israel — is ultimately responsible for any civilian deaths because its fighters hide among them. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in the bombing campaign.
The Israeli military moved troops into Gaza earlier this week and says it has now has Gaza City nearly surrounded.
Petraeus said the initial airstrikes have been part of what’s called “shaping operations” that allow troops to operate on the ground in what he said will likely be the toughest conditions since World War 2.
“This enemy knows Gaza City like the back of their hand. They have been presumably preparing to defend it for months, if not years,” Petraeus said. “They’ve built hundreds of miles of tunnels underground, they don’t wear uniforms, they use civilians and hostages, as we have seen tragically and terribly, as human shields, they’ll use improvised explosive devices, booby traps and most pernicious of all, some of them will likely prove to be willing to blow themselves up or blow up car bombs with themselves in it to take Israelis with them.”
The United Nations and other humanitarian groups have been raising concerns about the civilian death toll since the war began. The Rafah border crossing with Egypt just recently opened to allow in aid, and some foreign nationals and wounded Palestinians are being allowed to leave Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a cease-fire, but U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to the region for talks in Israel and Jordan following President Joe Biden’s suggestion for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting.
As Israel continues its offensive, opposition is growing in Arab countries that normalized relations with Israel.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Rabat and other Moroccan cities in support of the Palestinians. In Bahrain — a country that almost never allows protest — police stood by as hundreds of people marched last month, waving flags and gathering in front of the Israeli Embassy in Manama.
The demonstrations, which mirror protests across the Middle East, present an uncomfortable dilemma for governments that have enjoyed the benefits of closer military and economic ties with Israel in recent years.
In Egypt, which has had ties with Israel for decades, protesters rallied in cities and at universities, at times chanting “Death to Israel.” A parliamentary committee in Tunisia last week advanced a draft law that would criminalize normalization with Israel.
In Morocco and Bahrain, the public anger has an additional dimension; activists are demanding the reversal of agreements that formalize ties with Israel, underscoring discord between the governments and public opinion.
Petraeus says it would be wise of Israel to factor in the Arab response and civilian deaths if it wants to prevent future resurgences of extremism.
“We really should think about this entire campaign as a counterinsurgency campaign and not just a conventional military campaign because a counterinsurgency campaign reminds you of the crucial importance of not just offense and defense, but stability operations,” he said. “That’s essentially the nation-building piece, and you need the people with you.
“When (the United States) set about the task of destroying al-Qaida in Iraq during the ‘surge,’ we laid out for the Sunni Arabs — al-Qaida of course being a Sunni extremist organization — that life would be much better if they either helped us or at least stop supporting al-Qaida in Iraq, given that the extremists had caused so much damage and destruction and loss of life in their own neighborhoods.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.