Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: "We must destroy Hamas"
Israel is preparing for a long war against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Defence Minister Joav Galant said on Thursday that the armed forces were prepared to fight the organization, which is classified as a terrorist group by the EU, the USA and Israel, for years. The army would find all those involved in the massacre in Israel on October 7. "Regardless of whether it takes a week, a month, a year and possibly even years."
He also spoke out against a compromise with Hamas and other extremist groups in the Gaza Strip, as they had harmed and murdered Israeli citizens. "We will eliminate them all."
Meanwhile, Iran warned against the Gaza war spreading to the entire region. "Because of the massive expansion of the war against civilian residents of Gaza, the expansion of the scale of the war is now inevitable," said Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian. Israel has been Tehran's declared arch-enemy since the 1979 revolution.
Israel wants to allow civilians safe passage out of combat zone
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue to allow civilians safe passage out of the combat zone in the sealed-off Gaza Strip. "The fighting against Hamas, the Hamas terrorists, continues, but we want to allow safe passage for civilians out of the combat zone in certain places for a certain period of time, a few hours here, a few hours there. And that's what we're doing," he told US broadcaster Fox News. Earlier, the communications director of the US National Security Council, John Kirby, had announced in Washington that Israel had agreed to daily, four-hour humanitarian pauses in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu: "We must destroy Hamas"
Prime Minister Netanyahu went on to say that Israel was not trying to conquer, govern or occupy the Gaza Strip. "But we want to give it and ourselves a better future in the entire Middle East. And for that, Hamas must be defeated." He did not set a timetable "because it may take more time", Netanyahu said. "We must destroy Hamas, not only for our sake, but for the sake of the people. For the sake of civilization, for the sake of Palestinians and Israelis alike." The Gaza Strip must be demilitarized, de-radicalized and rebuilt.
Military: 9500 shells fired towards Israel since the start of the war
According to the Israeli armed forces, 9500 rockets and mortar shells as well as dozens of drones have been fired towards Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war. Since the ground operations in the Gaza Strip, however, the number of launches has decreased significantly, the military announced. The army did not explicitly state whether projectiles from Lebanon, Yemen and Syria were also counted. Twelve percent of all projectiles landed in the Gaza Strip itself, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas. Around 900 were fired from civilian locations, including mosques, schools and hospitals.
Israel intercepts rocket with new Arrow 3 defense system for the first time
The Israeli armed forces successfully deployed their new Arrow 3 missile defense system for the first time. According to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, an object fired at Israel was intercepted in the Red Sea area. The Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen had previously claimed to have attacked Israel with missiles. It was initially unclear whether the missile intercepted by the Arrow 3 system was a Huthi rebel missile. "The Arrow missile intercepted a threat that was traveling far away from the state of Israel," said military spokesman Daniel Hagari. "We intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that was fired in our direction."
Palestinians: 14 dead in Israeli military operation in Jenin
According to Palestinian reports, at least 14 people were killed in an Israeli military operation in Jenin in the West Bank. More than 20 others were injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Israeli armed forces stated that a drone had attacked terrorists in the refugee quarter in Jenin during the operation. They had shot at the soldiers and thrown explosive devices. The troops used heavy equipment to destroy dozens of hidden explosive devices. The army reported ten Palestinians killed. In addition, 20 suspects, including members of Islamic Jihad, were arrested. The forces also discovered weapons.
What will be important on Friday
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is heading to the Middle East for another series of crisis talks in connection with the Gaza war. According to the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, the planned stops on the trip are the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Green politician initially planned to fly to Abu Dhabi on Friday. Later in the day, she would continue on to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.
On Saturday, the onward journey to Israel is on the agenda. Baerbock is visiting Israel for the third time since the start of the terrorist attacks by Islamist Hamas on the country on October 7. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the talks will focus on the release of the German hostages, the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza and German efforts to prevent a regional conflagration.
The UN Security Council will also discuss the situation in the Middle East again on Friday.
In response to the escalating conflicts in the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the need to defeat Hamas in Gaza, stating, "We must destroy Hamas, not only for our sake, but for the sake of the people. For the sake of civilization, for the sake of Palestinians and Israelis alike." Meanwhile, Defense Minister Joav Galant reinforced this stance, affirming, "We will eliminate them all," referring to Hamas and other extremist groups responsible for harming and killing Israeli citizens.
Source: www.dpa.com
