(NewsNation) —  Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak says his country can wait a month or two before invading Rafah because the top priority should be the safety of the Israeli hostages.

“The most urgent job is to rescue these hostages,” he told NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.”

Otherwise, he says it could be as long as six months before there is another opportunity to recover the Israelis held captive by Hamas since October 7.

“Then, the hostages might already be in coffins,” he added.

Barak, who was Israel’s prime minister from mid-1999 to early 2001, also criticized current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to prepare for what happens after the Rafah offensive is complete and Israel has defeated Hamas.

“Israel cannot go into full regional war without thinking in advance about ‘the morning after.’”

He says Netanyahu hasn’t come up with any post-conquest plan to address Gaza’s future, especially the question of to whom Israel grants control of the territory.

“We have to give it to someone.”

And regarding the pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses, Barak says it shows “a certain ignorance … short-term memory” about what led to this situation, namely the Hamas offensive that began October 7.