Senior Israeli generals who are members of the General Staff support starting to stop the war on Gaza, even if this leads to Hamas remaining in power for the time being, according to a report published by the New York Times today, Tuesday.

This position would expand the dispute between the Israeli army and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who refuses to stop the war on Gaza.

The generals believe that the truce will be the best way to free about 120 Israelis still detained in Gaza, alive and dead, according to the newspaper, citing six current and former security officials.

The generals believe their forces, which they said are ill-equipped to continue fighting after Israel's longest war in decades, need time to recover in preparation for the possibility of war against Hezbollah, according to multiple officials.

The security officials who spoke to the newspaper said that the truce with Hamas may also facilitate reaching an agreement with Hezbollah, which announced that its fight against Israel is to support the resistance in Gaza until the war on the Strip stops.

The newspaper reported that the army’s position on the ceasefire reflects a major shift in its thinking over the past months, as it has become clear that Netanyahu refuses to express or commit to the post-war plan.

“The army fully supports the hostage deal and the ceasefire,” said Eyal Hulata, who served as Israel’s national security adviser until early last year and who speaks regularly with senior military officials.

He added, "They believe that they are able to return and engage militarily with Hamas in the future, and they realize that stopping in Gaza makes calm more likely in Lebanon. They have less ammunition, fewer spare parts, and less energy than they had before, so they also believe that stopping "In Gaza, it gives us more time to prepare in the event of a larger war with Hezbollah."

Until recently, the Israeli military had publicly claimed that it was possible to achieve the government's two main war objectives simultaneously: defeating Hamas and rescuing the hostages captured by Hamas and its allies during the October 7 attack on Israel. Now, the senior military leadership has concluded that the two goals are incompatible, several months after the generals began to have doubts, according to the newspaper.

With Netanyahu's refusal to stop the war, the Israeli army fears an "eternal war" in which its energies and ammunition will gradually be eroded, even as the hostages remain in captivity and Hamas leaders are still at large. In the face of this scenario, keeping Hamas in power for the time being in exchange for the return of the hostages appears to be the least bad option for Israel, Hulata said. Four senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity agreed with him.

The Israeli army spokesman’s unit commented on the “New York Times” report, saying, “The Israeli army is determined to continue fighting in order to achieve the goals of the war by eliminating Hamas’ military and authoritarian capabilities, returning the kidnapped, and returning residents in the north and south to their homes safely. So far, great achievements have been recorded.” In the fighting in Gaza, the Israeli army will continue to fight Hamas anywhere in the Gaza Strip, in addition to continuing to advance preparedness for war in the north and defensive efforts on all borders.