The New York Times: Israel generals favor ceasefire with Hamas

Israel's top military leadership is in favor of a ceasefire with the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, security sources say, reports The New York Times. Israeli generals believe that this will facilitate the release of hostages and enable the Israeli army to restore its resources in the event of an escalation of the conflict with the Shiite Hezbollah movement.

“The [Israeli] military is in full support of a hostage deal and a cease-fire,” said Eyal Hulata, who served as Israel’s national security adviser until early last year, and who speaks regularly with senior military officials. According to him, the generals of the Israel Defense Forces "believe that they can always go back and engage Hamas militarily in the future."

The generals think that a truce would be the best way of freeing the roughly 120 Israelis still held, both dead and alive, in Gaza, according to interviews with six current and former security officials.

Senior Israeli officers also believe the Israeli army needs time to recuperate and fear a shortage of ammunition, weapons, and equipment in the event of a full-scale conflict with Hezbollah in the country's north.

In addition, the deal with Hamas could help establish dialogue with the Lebanese side, which opposes Israel's military operations in Gaza, several anonymous officials told The New York Times.

But the position of the Israeli military differs from the opinion of the prime minister of the country, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is against a ceasefire agreement until Hamas is destroyed.

It is unclear how directly the Israeli military leadership has expressed its views on the matter to Netanyahu in private, notes The New York Times.