Israeli troops stand “in the heart of Gaza City”
The Israeli army is operating in the heart of Gaza City, Hamas’s stronghold in the Palestinian enclave, and is “tightening the noose,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during a televised news conference. “Army troops are in the heart of Gaza City. They came from the north and the south. They coordinated fully with the land, air and naval forces,” he said.
He reiterated a call for Palestinian civilians to move to the southern Gaza Strip for their own safety, after the IDF earlier in the day allowed a four-hour “window” for civilians to leave Gaza City. Israeli soldiers “operate on foot, with armored vehicles and tanks (…) from all directions and have one target: the Hamas terrorists in Gaza, their infrastructure, their commanders, bunkers, communication rooms,” explained the minister.
“We will destroy Hamas. (…) Our armed forces are ready on all fronts,” he said, adding that “Gaza is the largest terrorist base ever built.” He also ruled out a pause in operations: “Without the return of the hostages there will be none give a humanitarian ceasefire.” »
When asked about the Israeli government’s plans for the Gaza Strip after the war, he replied that “neither Hamas nor Israel” would rule the enclave. “Anything else is a possibility,” he added, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel would have “security responsibility” for the Gaza Strip indefinitely.
For his part, General Yaron Finkelman, head of the Southern Command of the Israel Defense Forces, spoke in a statement of the aim of the month-long fighting, namely “to hit the core of Hamas’ capabilities.” “For the first time in decades, the Israeli army is fighting in the heart of Gaza, in the heart of terrorism. It is a complex, difficult war and, unfortunately, comes with a high price,” he continued.