The former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has issued a sharp condemnation of the ongoing military operations in Gaza under the leadership of his successor, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. In an interview with “Der Spiegel”, Olmert stated, “It’s enough, we’ve killed enough, we’ve destroyed enough”. He asserted that Israel’s stated military objectives have already been achieved, “at the latest with the killing of Yahya Sinwar” the Hamas leader in Gaza, in October 2024.
Olmert characterized the continued conflict as not only strategically pointless but also an “illegitimate war driven by the Prime Minister’s personal political interests”. He accused Netanyahu of committing “crimes against the State of Israel and the Israeli people” and called for his indictment – not in The Hague, but within Israel.
The former Prime Minister expressed deep concern that Israel lost international support following the breakdown of a ceasefire in March 2025, losing “all legitimacy” in the process. He suggested numerous incidents within Gaza could be classified as war crimes.
Addressing the handling of Hamas hostages taken on October 7, 2023 – during which 1,200 people were brutally murdered and 251 abducted – Olmert criticized the Israeli approach as a profound moral and security failure. He claimed Israel had the opportunity to exchange all hostages before the ground offensive in autumn, but public sentiment at the time prevented consideration of such a course of action.
Olmert strongly disapproved of plans by the Israeli government to construct a designated “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza, intended for the potential emigration of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. He described the initiative as a “disgusting plan” reminiscent of a concentration camp, asserting it constituted “a crime – or at least incitement to a crime.
He believes the only viable solution involves an internationally administered transitional government in Gaza, leading towards a long-term two-state solution. Olmert believes Israelis must experience firsthand the negative consequences of an unresolved situation for attitudes to shift significantly within the country. He warned that international boycotts are a distinct possibility, concluding, “I am not calling for anything. I am only afraid that it will happen”.