Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has said that the carnage in Gaza "has reached a dead end," calling it a failure and urging PM Benjamin Netanyahu's extremist government to end it and prioritise securing the release of captives held in Gaza.
"What we are doing in Gaza is not working. The war has reached a stalemate," Lapid wrote on X on Thursday.
"It's time to end the war. Leadership must know when to change strategy when it no longer succeeds."
His remarks follow the killings of seven Israeli soldiers inside an armoured personnel carrier during a Hamas ambush in Khan Younis on Tuesday.
Lapid criticised the government for leaving soldiers "as targets for further attacks" and questioned the ongoing genocide, saying: "No one understands anymore what we are gaining from all this."
He renewed his call for a deal to return Israeli captives — estimated at around 50, with 20 believed to be alive — and proposed involving Egypt in managing Gaza post-war.
"We must let Egypt manage the Strip while the Israeli army redeploys around Gaza to deter threats, stop smuggling, and choke Hamas economically," Lapid said.
He emphasised that defeating Hamas "won't come by draining our soldiers inside Gaza, but through strategy, organisation, and smart timing."
Mickey Levy, member of the Knesset and former Knesset Speaker, threw support behind Lapid, saying, "We must stop."
"This war has turned into a war of attrition without direction. It's time for a deal," Levy said on X.
Brewing pressure
Lapid's comments add to growing criticism of Netanyahu, whose government is accused of prolonging the genocide for political survival.
Families of captives and dead soldiers, as well as parts of the Israeli opposition, have accused Netanyahu of catering to far-right factions in his cabinet.
In February, Egypt rejected a previous proposal by Lapid that Cairo administer Gaza for 15 years in exchange for debt relief.
His latest comments come as international attention shifts back to Gaza following a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran and amid US President Donald Trump's statement that a ceasefire in Gaza is now "very close."
Palestinians have reported over 56,300 fatalities caused by Israel’s ongoing genocide, many of them women and children.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Over the course of the genocide, Israel has also reduced most of the enclave to ruins and practically displaced the entire 2.3 million population.
It has also blocked the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid and allowed the controversial so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed aid group established to bypass the UN aid work and criticised for being a "death trap."
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
