Ex-Israeli intel chief warns Gaza occupation would doom cap

A former head of Israeli military intelligence has spoken out against a full occupation of Gaza, warning it would be catastrophic for both Israel and the captives still held in the enclave.

“We’re talking about two million people and military rule; desperate people with destroyed homes, no hospitals or schools,” Amos Yadlin told Israel’s Maariv newspaper.

Yadlin, who led military intelligence between 2011 and 2012, said taking control of Gaza would saddle Israel with enormous responsibility and endanger the lives of the remaining captives.

“If I were in the cabinet today, I would lay out the implications of occupying Gaza,” he said. “In my view, it would doom the hostages. After 22 months, the [Israeli military] knows how to conquer above-ground Gaza, but it doesn’t know how to conquer underground Gaza or rescue the hostages.”