Israel: "Hamas will no longer exist"

The Israeli army's ground incursion into Gaza, in the next phase of the war with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, could last for months, but when it is over, "Hamas will no longer exist," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, quoted by EFE.

"The ground offensive must be the last maneuver in Gaza, for the simple reason that, after it, Hamas will no longer exist", stated Minister Gallant recently, during a visit to the command center of the Israeli Air Force in Tel Aviv, mentioning: "It will take a month, two or three, but in the end there will be no more Hamas. Before the enemy meets the armored and infantry forces, he will meet the bombs of the Air Force."

Hamas militants killed 1,400 Israelis and wounded more than 5,400 in a major offensive launched from the Gaza Strip on October 7, which included firing thousands of rockets at Israel and infiltrating Palestinian militants into Israeli territory, according to Agerpres.

Yesterday, the Israeli Army announced that its ground forces carried out limited raids in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night against Palestinian gunmen; At the same time, Israel's airstrikes focused on the gathering places of the fighters of the Islamist group Hamas who were preparing to retaliate against a large-scale Israeli invasion, according to Reuters.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the head of military spokesmen, announced that the number of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israeli territory has been confirmed: the terrorists forcibly took 222 Israeli and foreign citizens to the Gaza Strip.

Also yesterday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh condemned the positions that give Israel "permission to kill", while the United States and some European countries invoked Israel's right to defend itself.

Mohammed Shtayyeh said, according to AFP: "What we hear from the leaders of the Israeli occupation about the preparations for a ground invasion means more crimes, atrocities and forced displacements. We condemn the positions that constitute a license to kill and give Israel political cover to commit massacres and sow destruction in Gaza."

We remind you that American President Joe Biden and the leaders of the main Western powers reiterated their support for Israel on Sunday, while demanding respect for international humanitarian law.

According to a statement from the White House, Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The communique shows that "the leaders reiterated their support for Israel and for its right to defend itself against terrorism, demanding respect for international humanitarian law, especially the protection of civilians.

• Lebanon: "Hezbollah will not go to war immediately, because Hamas can handle itself for a few months"

The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah "will not immediately enter" the war against Israel, when the ground intervention of Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip will take place, because the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas "can resist for months", the minister of defense said on Sunday. Foreign Lebanese Abdallah Bou Habib, in an interview given to the independent station MTV Lebanon, quoted by EFE.

"Hezbollah will not enter immediately when the ground invasion (Israeli in Gaza - n.r.) takes place. Hamas says it can resist for months and that there will be no reaction from Hezbollah or any regional organization at the beginning of the invasion," said the head of Lebanese diplomacy.

In the interview, Bou Habib stated that "the first approach of Hezbollah, if the situation does not get much worse in Gaza, is non-intervention", although he clarified that the Lebanese government "does not have any control over them", although "there is always dialogue" .

The head of Lebanese diplomacy also stated that he always reminds those from Hezbollah that "Lebanon was destroyed in 2006, but they came out stronger", and today "they have more power than before", notes Agerpres.

Bou Habib also stated: "You hear what the Israelis say every day about Lebanon. While Hezbollah says nothing. Of course, there are interventions by their leaders, but Mr. Hasan (Nasrallah - the leader of Hezbollah - n.r.) has not said anything yet. I don't think he wants war".

The Lebanese minister thus alluded to the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, who warned that if the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah goes to war against Israel in support of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, it will commit "the biggest mistake of its life". and "will miss" the 2006 conflict. This was Netanyahu's response to the announcement made on Saturday by the Shiite group, which said that if it is necessary to "intervene" in the current war between Israel and Hamas, "it will".