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- David Petraeus told CBS that Israel needs a vision for Palestine, besides annihilating Hamas.
- Petraeus led US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan before serving as CIA director.
- The retired general said Israel will face a dilemma on whether to re-occupy Gaza.
A former CIA director says Israel needs to have a vision for Palestine post-conflict, besides just vanquishing Hamas.
"I think that Prime Minister Netanyahu would be well advised to not only say what they're going to try to do to Hamas realistically, because again the cost is so high, but also talk about the future of Gaza and a future, even a vision for the Palestinian people post-conflict," former CIA director David Petraeus said in an interview on CBS Mornings on Monday.
On October 7, Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel, attacking Israel by land, air, and sea, killing hundreds of people in Israeli towns, military bases, and at a music festival. Israel declared war against Hamas on the following day. Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said on October 11 that their army planned to "wipe this thing called Hamas, ISIS-Gaza, off the face of the earth."
Petraeus had a long career in the US Army, where he led US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 2011 and 2012, Petraeus served as CIA director.
Earlier in the CBS interview, Petraeus emphasized the importance of post-conflict planning, citing his experience in Baghdad.
"I remember asking before we went to Baghdad, and I said, 'You know, excuse me, can we have a little more detail on what happens after we get to Baghdad and topple the regime?' And they said, 'You just get us to Baghdad; they will take it from there,'" Petraeus said. "We obviously had done inadequate phase four it's called, post-conflict."
The retired general also spoke about the dilemma Israel faces with regards to the territory.
"It's just really, really hard. I mean, they don't want to reoccupy, but if you don't reoccupy, Hamas will reconstitute, and they know that, and so you're going to go to enormous loss, casualties, the Israelis, civilians, of course, Hamas fighters, terrorists, and then you're just going to leave?" Petraeus said. "So I am sure they are searching for that answer."
Both sides have reported civilian deaths and injuries since Hamas began its attacks on October 7. More than 1,400 Israelis have died following the attacks. Gaza officials said 2,808 Palestinians have died, with thousands more injured.
Representatives for Petraeus did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.