The official noted during the opening of the weekly Israeli government meeting that the country was “in the midst of a war.”
“We have set ourselves a clear goal: to destroy the military and regime potential of Hamas. We are doing this systematically,” he said.
Stages of military operation
Netanyahu announced the goals of the different phases of the operation.
“First of all, braking phase completed. Second phase – constantly ongoing air attacks. Third stage – expansion of ground penetration into the Gaza Strip. The IDF is doing this in measured, very powerful steps, systematically moving forward step by step,” the Israeli prime minister said.
He also drew attention to the “full confidence in both tactics and management” of the ongoing operation under the leadership of the Chief of the General Staff from “the entire people and their leadership.”
“There will be further steps that cannot be discussed here, but we are talking in the ‘war cabinet,'” Netanyahu added.
Threat from Hezbollah
According to the Israeli Prime Minister, in parallel, active work is underway to contain them on the northern front, that is, in the area of the border with Lebanon.
“I say again to Hezbollah: you will make the mistake of your life if you decide to fully intervene in the campaign. You will receive a blow that you cannot even imagine,” Netanyahu warns.
Release of hostages
The Israeli side also continues efforts to release citizens kidnapped during the maneuver, who were captured by Hamas militants during their invasion, the head of the Israeli government noted.
“This maneuver even opens up opportunities for liberation, and we will not miss them. This campaign will take time, there will be unexpected obstacles, there will be difficulties, there will be losses, there will be surprises, but in the end I promise you one thing: Hamas will be knocked down, Hamas will be defeated, there will be a different Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
Political, humanitarian and economic efforts
He also added that this “needs patience and time,” in particular to “gain political support.”
“I am in daily contact with the President of the United States, our team constantly communicates with their colleagues. We explain that we are waging not only our own war, but also theirs, because if Hamas is not defeated, the axis of evil will win, and if the axis of evil wins , the free world will lose… This political effortand everyone who can contribute should do so,” the Israeli prime minister explained.
Netanyahu also spoke about the humanitarian and economic components of the operation and the fight against Hamas.
“The second effort is humanitarian.. We are trying to move the population of Gaza to the south of the strip, we have created a safe zone there where we want to send humanitarian aid. We are doing this in coordination with our American friends. This process also takes time,” he said.
The third effort is economic, Netanyahu said. He said the government would need to do “a lot more, which would cost a lot of money, but that’s a secondary consideration.”
“The most important thing that is needed is the unification of forces. We have created an emergency national government to wage war. Now the people are united more than ever,” he emphasized.
Israeli ground operation
Let us recall that on October 7, Hamas militants staged a large-scale invasion of Israel. During the attack, they killed and also abducted military and civilian residents. After this, Israel announced the start of Operation Iron Swords, and began regularly shelling targets in the Gaza Strip.
On October 27, the Israeli army began to intensify its attack on Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces also announced the expansion of ground operations.
At the same time, the IDF reported that on the night of October 30, additional troops were sent to the Gaza Strip to continue the operation.
2023-10-31 07:24:49
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