Mossad’s Former Chief Calls the War in Gaza ‘Useless’

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The Atlantic

Politics, News, Society & Culture

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🗓️ 5 June 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

In April, 250 former Israeli intelligence officers signed their names to an open letter of protest asking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to proceed with his plans to escalate the war on Gaza. One of them was Tamir Pardo, head of Mossad, Israel’s equivalent of the CIA, from 2011 to 2016. Pardo, with his decades of experience fighting terrorism, explains his perspective on how the war unfolded and what Netanyahu’s real motivations are behind continuing it. -- Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at theAtlantic.com/listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	This podcast is supported by the world as you'll know it, a podcast about the forces shaping the future.
0:05.9	In this season, host and science journalist Carl Zimmer speaks to some of the most respected
0:10.8	scientists in the field of aging research about the massive changes in human longevity and what
0:15.7	comes next. Is our lifespan set, or will a breakthrough add decades to our lives?
0:24.0	Can older brains be rewired to function like younger ones?
0:26.8	Which so-called biohacks actually work?
0:29.5	The world as you'll know it is available now. It's been 100 days since the attack by Hamas in southern Israel.
0:42.5	100 days of grief and protest.
0:45.0	Israel and Hamas have been at war for six months.
0:48.2	It's been exactly a year.
0:49.7	One year after the horror.
0:51.6	It's been nearly 600 days since Israel's war on Gaza began.
0:55.4	600 days since Hamas militants staged their murderous attack on October 7th. 600 days,
1:03.0	and they are still holding 58 Israeli hostages. The war continues day after day, month after month.
1:13.6	Now, over a year and a half old, though, it feels like it's at a new breaking point.
1:19.0	In Gaza, concerns a famine grow, which is why chaos broke out at the opening of an aid
1:24.4	distribution site in Gaza that's run by a U.S. back group.
1:27.4	Israel imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid and commercial supplies of an aid distribution site in Gaza that's run by a US-back group.
1:32.6	Israel imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to Gaza on the 2nd of March.
1:33.7	This week, there's a temporary ceasefire proposal on the table.
1:37.3	The potential deal involves releasing 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 dead.
1:42.9	Hamas did not explicitly accept or reject the offer, but it said it was prepared to release
	...

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