Minister Galant told the Israeli soldiers: “You will soon see Gaza from the inside.” On Thursday he met with German Defense Minister Pistorius, who pledged full support for Israel. Pistorius has no doubt that Israel will launch a ground offensive. He still hopes for a de-escalation.
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant has suggested an imminent ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Galant told ground troops massed on the Gaza border that they would soon see the Palestinian coastal strip “from the inside,” according to a statement from his office. “Now that you see Gaza from a distance, you will soon see it from within. The order will come,” he said, according to the statement.
Previously, he had taken responsibility for ensuring that the bloody Islamic Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 could take place. “I am responsible for the defense apparatus. “I was responsible for this in the last two weeks, including the difficult incidents,” Galant said on Thursday, according to media reports, during a visit to a military complex near the border with the Gaza Strip.
He is now also responsible for leading the military “to victory in battle.” “We will be precise and lethal and we will continue until we complete the mission,” Galant said. The heads of military intelligence and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, Aharon Haliva and Ronen Bar, also admitted personal responsibility.
Pistorius: There are no doubts about the ground offensive
After a meeting with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius, Galant thanked him for Germany’s support. “It is a great honor for us that they visit us during this war and stand by Israel,” he said in Tel Aviv.
He announced decisive action in the fight against Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “I can tell you all: ‘Never again’ is not a slogan for the Israeli military in Israel, it is an obligation.” Israel was “brutally attacked by IS – Hamas – in Gaza”. “We will do everything we can to destroy Hamas and we will do everything we can to bring our hostages home.”
Pistorius promised the Israeli government Germany’s full and continued support. The supposedly imminent ground offensive is covered by international law, Pistorius emphasized. Israel has the right to defend itself. At the same time, however, any further escalation ultimately carries with it a risk that is difficult to calculate.
Of course, such a ground offensive also concerns him, especially since Hamas is apparently preventing civilians – sometimes violently – from fleeing to safety in the south. However, Israel is aware of its responsibility to avoid civilian casualties. “However, we also know how difficult and dangerous an operation of this type can be. The most urgent task is to secure the release of those kidnapped,” said the SPD politician. Germany also wants to support this wherever possible and is prepared to support the Israeli armed forces with material. “It has nothing to do with the war that Hamas started here. This is a terrorist attack,” Pistorius said. “This inhumane brutality deeply shocked us in Germany.”
Terrorists carried out a massacre of civilians in Israel on October 7th in the name of Hamas. According to estimates, around 2,500 Palestinians from the coastal strip crossed the border. It was the worst bloodbath in Israel’s history. More than 1,400 people died in Israel during the attack and in the days that followed. Militants kidnapped more than 200 people in the Mediterranean region. Since then, the Israeli military has attacked targets in the densely populated coastal strip. (APA/red.)