SAFA - Former Israeli war criminal Giora Eiland, who has previously advocated using starvation and deprivation against Palestinians in Gaza, has called for the besieged territory to remain “destroyed for generations to come” and urged Israel to permanently retain territory seized inside the Strip.

Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council and former director of the Israeli military’s planning and operations directorates, made the remarks in an interview with Israeli radio station 103FM. His comments, reported by the Hebrew-language newspaper Maariv, came as discussions continue over a US-backed proposal for Gaza’s future.

Speaking about the plan, Eiland described it as overly favorable to Hamas and argued that Israel should reject any arrangement requiring it to withdraw from territory it has occupied beyond the so-called Yellow Line.

“We must not give up [the Yellow Line] under any circumstances,” he said, referring to the Israeli military’s line inside Gaza that has been used to mark areas under Israeli control.

Eiland compared Gaza to Germany following the Second World War, arguing that because “the enemy has lost,” Israel should retain land. Although he did not explicitly call for annexation, his demand for permanent Israeli control over seized parts of Gaza would effectively entrench the occupation of Palestinian territory.

He said the territory did not necessarily need to be used for Israeli settlements but should instead remain a permanent “security buffer” in which Israeli occupation forces could operate.

Calling for Gaza’s destruction to continue

Eiland was even more explicit when discussing the reconstruction of Gaza.

“Israel has no interest in Gaza being rebuilt,” he told 103FM. “It is better for us that it be destroyed for generations to come.”

He argued that the devastation of Gaza should remain a lasting reminder of the October 7, 2023 attacks, saying that the greater the destruction and the longer it remains visible, “the better” it would be for Israel.

The remarks have drawn attention because they echo Eiland’s previous calls for policies that would inflict severe suffering on Gaza’s civilian population.

In November 2023, as Israel’s genocidal campaign was devastating the Strip, Eiland wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth that Israel should not be deterred by warnings of humanitarian catastrophe or disease. He argued that even severe epidemics could bring Israel closer to victory.

His statements were subsequently cited by South Africa in its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, where they were presented as evidence relevant to allegations concerning genocidal intent.

The “Generals’ Plan” and starvation

Eiland has also been closely associated with the so-called “Generals’ Plan,” which proposed forcing Palestinians out of northern Gaza and imposing a siege on those who remained, cutting off essential supplies including food, water, fuel, and medicine.

Such proposals have raised grave concerns under international humanitarian law. Starving civilians as a method of warfare and deliberately depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival are prohibited under international law.

Meanwhile, Israel has continued to maintain extensive control over large areas of Gaza, with Palestinians displaced from areas taken by Israeli occupation forces. The expansion of Israeli military control has intensified fears that temporary wartime measures could become a permanent reality, further fragmenting Palestinian territory and preventing displaced families from returning to their homes.

For Palestinians who have endured mass displacement, the destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, and the collapse of essential services, Eiland’s remarks offer a stark glimpse into the thinking behind calls to prevent Gaza’s reconstruction.

Rather than treating Gaza’s destruction as a humanitarian catastrophe that must be urgently reversed, his comments frame the devastation itself as a strategic objective, raising renewed questions about the future of the territory and the fate of millions of Palestinians seeking to rebuild their lives amid the ruins.