Middle East - Netanyahu: Hamas army soon to cease to exist
Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu sees the main phase of the war against the Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip approaching a swift conclusion. "We are moving towards the end of the phase of crushing the Hamas terror army," he said in Jerusalem during a reception for cadets of the National Defense Academy. "We will continue to combat their remnants."
Netanyahu had previously visited the Gaza Division, which is currently in action in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. He saw "significant progress" there, he said. The offensive in Rafah along the border with Egypt is aimed at the dismantling of the last major Hamas military formations. However, the Islamic militia remains militarily active in smaller groups.
The words of the Israeli prime minister suggest that the large-scale ground offensive of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip may soon come to an end. This began three weeks after the unprecedented massacre committed by Hamas and other extremist groups in the south of Israel on October 7. The terror attack with over 1200 deaths on the Israeli side triggered the Gaza War, which Israel initially launched with massive air raids.
The end of the ground offensive would not necessarily mean an end to Israel's military engagement in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu and high-ranking military officials have often emphasized that Israeli troops would remain in strategic locations in the fortified coastal area after the phase of intense fighting. This includes, in particular, the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer-long, narrow strip that runs along the Gaza Strip on the Egyptian side of the border at Rafah.
- Following his visit to the Gaza Division in Rafah, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu expressed optimism about the approaching end of the main phase of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
- The ground offensive in Rafah, targeting Hamas's last major military formations, is a significant part of the larger Gaza War that Israel initiated in response to the massacre in their southern regions by Hamas and other extremist groups.
- Despite hints of an impending end to the large-scale ground offensive, Netanyahu and prominent military leaders have highlighted the need for Israeli troops to maintain a presence in strategic locations within the fortified Gaza Strip, particularly the Philadelphiana Corridor at Rafah, along the Egyptian border.
- The Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer stretch along the Egyptian side of the Gaza Strip border, is one of the areas where Israeli troops intend to remain to ensure security and stability after the intense phase of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
- The Gaza Strip, a long-standing area of conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories, has once again seen intense violence, with Israel launching a ground offensive following the brutal attacks orchestrated by Hamas and other extremist groups.
- The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, specifically the Gaza Strip, continue to pose challenges for peace negotiations and calls for de-escalation, with Israel and Hamas at odds over control, security, and territorial disputes.
