Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed this Thursday to “crush” Hamas, urging the world to treat Islamists in the Palestinian movement the same as those of the Islamic State group (IS).
“Just as ISIS was crushed, Hamas will be crushed. And Hamas must be treated in exactly the same way as ISIS,” Netanyahu declared at a press conference after a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In Israel.
Regarding Blinken’s visit, the Israeli prime minister stated that it was a “tangible example of the United States’ unequivocal support for Israel.”
“President [dos Estados Unidos, Joe] “Biden was absolutely right to call this ‘pure evil,'” Netanyahu said, referring to Hamas’ unprecedented surprise attack on Israel last Saturday.
Before reporters, Blinken said he came to Israel “not only as Secretary of State, but also as a Jew,” as he told the story of his own family who survived the Holocaust.
“So, Prime Minister, I understand, on a personal level, the distressing echoes that the Hamas massacres have for Israeli Jews, as well as for Jews around the world,” Blinken said.
“The message I bring with me is this: You may be strong enough to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never have to,” he said.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory this Saturday, called Operation “Al-Aqsa Storm”, with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response to the surprise attack, Israel bombed several Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip from the air, in an operation called “Iron Swords.”
Israel declared total war and vowed to punish Hamas like never before, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he was “at war” with the Palestinian group.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is classified as a “terrorist group” by the European Union (EU), the United States and Israel.
Official data on fatalities from the conflict unleashed by the Islamist group on Saturday point to 1,300 deaths in Israel and 1,354 in the Gaza Strip, official sources from both parties indicated this Thursday.
In addition to the 1,300 deaths in Israel, and according to the latest data from the Israeli Ministry of Health, 3,268 people were hospitalized, of which 28 were in critical condition, 348 in serious condition and 581 in moderate condition.
On the Gaza side, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, in addition to the deaths of 1,354 people, many of them civilians, there were 6,049 injured in different states, as well as 31 dead in the West Bank, where around 180 were also injured.
According to Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht, in addition to the death toll on both sides, around 1,000 Hamas militants were killed during clashes with security forces on Israeli territory, where sporadic fighting continues, and five militants were killed on Wednesday.
Source: TSF
