The Prime Minister of Israel threatened to “destroy” Hamas in a message broadcast this Friday on national television, a few hours before the deadline imposed for the withdrawal of one million civilians from Gaza.
“This is just the beginning (…) We will finish this war stronger than ever,” said Benjamin Netanyahu without giving more details about the eventual ground offensive in Gaza.
“We are hitting our enemies with unprecedented force and, I emphasize, this is just the beginning. Our enemies have only just begun to pay the price. I will not detail our plans, but I tell you this is just the beginning,” he added. Netanyahu.
“In my telephone contacts with President (Joe) Biden (of the United States) and other world leaders, and through many other efforts, we are ensuring broad international support for Israel,” the prime minister said.
“We will destroy Hamas, we will triumph. It may take time, but we will end this war stronger than ever. ‘May the Almighty’ guarantee that the enemies who rise up against us are massacred,” concluded the head of the Israeli Government.
It is a brief statement made at the beginning of Shabbat (which begins at sunset on Friday) and a few hours before the end of the ultimatum for the civilian population to leave Gaza.
The deadlines communicated by Israel also refer to the evacuation of the enclave’s hospital.
This Friday morning, the Israel Defense Forces moved a column of more than fifty armored vehicles towards Gaza from Sderot, east of the enclave, while bombarding the territory with artillery throughout the day.
For the Israeli civilian population in the region, it was the first movement of troops towards a ground invasion against Gaza, where Hamas is holding more than a hundred Israelis hostage.
The Israeli army’s ground campaign was expected from the beginning of the response to the large-scale Hamas attack last Saturday.
On the other hand, throughout the day, Hamas forces demonstrated their ability, especially during the afternoon, to continue firing missiles against urban areas of Israel near the Gaza Strip.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel last Saturday with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response, Israel bombed several Hamas infrastructures in the Gaza Strip from the air and imposed a total siege on the territory, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies.
The attacks have already caused thousands of deaths and injuries in both territories.
Source: TSF
