Benjamin Netanyahu vowed this Saturday evening that Israel will continue to fight Hamas “until the end.” “Until we achieve victory, the war will continue,” the Israeli prime minister continued at a press conference, unlike usual, with questions.
“The day before yesterday [quinta-feira]has ordered the Israeli army, together with the War Cabinet, to resume the war with increasing intensity over the past 24 hours. We will continue the war until we achieve all its objectives. And it is not possible to achieve these objectives without continuing the ground maneuver,” Netanyahu explained, adding that 400 Hamas targets have been “eliminated” since the end of the ceasefire on Friday. “This is a long-term war, but in the end we will win this war,” he said.
Israel bombed targets in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, which is overpopulated, and ordered the evacuation of more neighborhoods targeted for the attack, increasing the death toll. The Israeli army said it had struck more than 400 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in the past day, using airstrikes and shelling from tanks and warships. The attacks include more than 50 in the town of Khan Younis and surrounding areas in southern Gaza. At least 200 Palestinians have been killed since fighting resumed Friday morning following a weeklong ceasefire, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.
“Over the past two days we have also been active in areas where we have not been active in the past month and this will increase. This action will reach all areas that need to be reached. We are moving towards the total elimination of Hamas.” assured the Minister of Israeli Defense, Yoav Gallant, quoted by Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, Palestinian militant groups in Gaza claimed to have fired rockets into southern Israel. Sirens were heard in communities near the Gaza Strip, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
At that evening’s press conference, Netanyahu further explained that these military objectives also aim to remove hostages from Gaza, ensuring that “we will do everything we can to bring them all back home.”
US against forced displacement of Palestinians
This assurance from the Israeli Prime Minister was given on the day that hundreds of people, including recently released hostages and their families, demonstrated in Tel Aviv demanding a meeting with Netanyahu and calling for the release of those still in the hands of Hamas. There were also protests against the Israeli prime minister in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Caesarea, calling for his resignation.
This Saturday was also marked by Benjamin Netanyahu’s order for negotiators in talks in Qatar on a new ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip to return to Israel, despite an “impasse” in negotiations. According to HaaretzAt the heart of the disagreement between the two sides will be a discrepancy over the number of women being held captive. Israel says it expects 15 women and two children to be released, while Hamas says it is not currently detaining any women.
A White House source told the newspaper Haaretz that US Vice President Kamala Harris would be in contact with the Emir of Qatar about a new ceasefire. French President Emmanuel Macron had already announced last night that he would go to Qatar to help broker a “new ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas.
Egyptian officials told The Wall Street Journal that negotiations will continue despite the departure of Israeli negotiators. The same sources added that the Qatari authorities remain in Israel and the Egyptians are in Gaza to keep dialogue open.
The US vice president said that “under no circumstances will the United States authorize the forcible relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the siege of Gaza, or the redrawing of Gaza’s borders,” according to a White House statement Tuesday. a meeting between Kamala Harris and the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on the sidelines of COP28, in Dubai. Harris further discussed “American ideas for post-conflict planning in Gaza, including reconstruction, security and governance efforts,” and also emphasized “that these efforts can only be successful if they are pursued within the context of a clear political horizon for the Palestinian people . towards their own state led by a revived Palestinian Authority and with significant support from the international community and countries in the region.”
Source: DN
