Rifts Emerge Among Israeli Officials Over War

JERUSALEM (AP) — Rifts are emerging among top Israeli officials over the handling of the war against the Hamas militant group in Gaza. A member of Israel’s War Cabinet has cast doubt over the strategy for releasing hostages, while the country’s prime minister rejected the United States’ calls to scale back its offensive. One of the four members of Israel’s War Cabinet, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, said late Thursday that only a cease-fire deal can win the release of dozens of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. He also said dismissed claims that hostages could be freed by other means as “illusions.” It was Eisenkot’s first public statements on the issue, and the latest sign of a growing rift among political and military leaders over the direction of Israel’s offensive.