AFP
After the defeat of Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip, the IDF will concentrate on the refugee camps in the south, like here in Khan Yunes.
MIDDLE EAST – Phase 1 of the response is complete. As Israel will commemorate the fourth month of Hamas' terrorist attacks on its soil on Sunday, January 7, and the threat of a conflagration on the border with Lebanon is greatest, the Israeli army announced that it had “completed the dismantling of Hamas “I have a military structure in the north of the Gaza Strip.”
At a press conference on Saturday evening, General Daniel Hagari said that the IDF would now focus on crushing the Palestinian Islamist movement “in the center and south of this territory.” “We will do it differently […] It takes time, there are no shortcuts in the fight against terrorism,” said the Israeli army spokesman.
“We must not end the war until we achieve these goals,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. The prime minister makes three points: “Eliminate Hamas, bring back our hostages and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.” A Defense Ministry spokesman estimates that 163 Israelis are still being held by the terrorist organization. Among them, three Frenchmen are still hostages.
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In the center and south of the Gaza Strip, “we will do it differently” than in the north, General Hagari said, without elaborating on the method. Since the offensive began, Israel has relentlessly shelled the small inland area. A new Hamas report shows 22,700 victims, mostly women and children. These actions are denounced by part of the international community and the United Nations calls in vain for humanitarian aid to the civilian population.
“The refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip are overcrowded and full of terrorists,” he said, referring to the camps in Nusseirat, Al-Bureij, Al-Maghazi and Deir el-Balah. In the south, the large city of Khan Younès has an underground tunnel city with diverse branches. “It takes time, there are no shortcuts in the fight against terrorism,” the soldier explained. In fact, Israeli authorities have been warning for several weeks that the war would continue for many months.
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