Former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said on Sunday that the ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip "has not achieved any of its goals," calling for elections to be held "as soon as possible."

This came in statements made by Eisenkot, who served as Chief of Staff from 2015 to 2019, at a conference at the Misgav Defense Research Institute, according to the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom.

"A commission of inquiry must be formed to begin its work investigating events from a decade ago, and I propose that it begin on the day I assumed the position of chief of staff," said Eisenkot, a member of the Knesset (parliament) for the opposition Blue and White party.

He added: "Israel set nine goals for the war (which he did not mention), and over time added more goals, and none of them were achieved, and this is unacceptable."

He revealed that American officers came to Israel (he did not specify when) to verify the strategic plan for the war, adding: "There was nothing."

Speaking about the beginning of the war, Eisenkot said, "I sat in the War Cabinet for eight months, and it became clear to me that any chief of staff is subject to the authority of the government."

Eisenkot and the leader of the "State Camp" party, Benny Gantz, joined the government formed by Netanyahu on October 11, following the outbreak of the war. This government became known as the emergency government, and as a result of this move, a small war cabinet (the War Council) was established. However, they withdrew from it in June 2024, in protest against Netanyahu's policies.

He continued, "Holding elections as soon as possible is essential to restore confidence in the government."

He stressed that "it is impossible for those who were the top command of the Israeli army on October 7 to remain in their positions."

In early March 2025, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel concluded. The agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025, was brokered by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the United States, and the Palestinian movement adhered to it.

However, Netanyahu disavowed the start of the second phase and resumed the genocide in the Gaza Strip on March 18, in deference to the most extreme faction within his right-wing government, according to Hebrew media.

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 168,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.