Troop transfers to the north
Netanyahu: Intense fighting in Gaza Strip will end soon
23.06.2024, 22:06
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Since the beginning of October, Israel has been conducting a military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to President Netanyahu, the phase of heavy fighting is coming to an end. But that does not mean an end to the war.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the intensive phase of the Israeli military operation against the radical Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip will soon end. “The intensive phase of the fighting against Hamas is about to end,” Netanyahu told Israeli broadcaster Channel 14.
However, this does not mean “that the war will soon be over”. The war will only end when Hamas no longer controls the Gaza Strip. However, the end of the heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip allows Israel to move more parts of its armed forces to the northern border with Lebanon. This will be done “primarily” for defensive purposes, but also to bring back the residents who have fled there, said Netanyahu. Israel had evacuated numerous cities in the region due to increasing fighting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
Netanyahu said he would not enter into an agreement that would end the war in the Gaza Strip. However, he was open to a “partial agreement” that would include the return of hostages from the Gaza Strip. “The goal is to bring back those abducted and to uproot the Hamas regime in Gaza,” said the Israeli head of government. Netanyahu reiterated that he was opposed to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority administering the Gaza Strip instead of Hamas.
US officials have expressed doubts about Israel’s goal of completely destroying Hamas. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari also expressed similar doubts on Wednesday, describing Hamas as an “ideology” that cannot be “eliminated.”