According to a recommendation reportedly passed to the political echelon by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the roughly 200 fighters described as “besieged terrorists” in Rafah should be eliminated as the default option.
The recommendation frames lethal action as the primary course and allows for the possibility that any of them be spared only if Hamas returns kidnapped Israeli soldiers and the remains of fallen troops — with special emphasis on Lt. Hadar Goldin.
The proposal raises immediate political and operational questions about escalation, rules of engagement, and the prospects for recovering hostages and remains.
Senior decision-makers are being asked to weigh the military objective against diplomatic, legal and humanitarian consequences, with the conditional return of hostages and remains presented as the sole pathway for any detainees to be allowed to escape lethal action.
