Benny Gantz, a member of the war council under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed his belief that “from a military point of view, Hamas has been defeated by the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip”. At the same time, however, he underlined that the operations of the Israeli army in the besieged Palestinian enclave will continue.
“Militarily, Hamas has been defeated. Its fighters have been killed or are in hiding. Its capabilities have been limited and we will continue to hit what is left,” the centrist politician said during a visit to the southern Israeli city of Sderot.
For the Israeli army, which has been pounding the Gaza Strip for more than six months, “victory will come step by step,” Gantz noted. “We will not stop! We will enter Rafa. We will return to Han Younis,” he assured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Monday that he is determined to launch a full-scale ground offensive in Rafah, defying warnings of the risk of bloodshed.
This area at the southern end of the Palestinian enclave, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge, is presented by Israel as the last major stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Source: RES-MPE
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