The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netayahuentered the Gaza Strip this Sunday for the first time since the war with Hamas broke out on October 7, and assured that its troops will resume the offensive until “eliminating” the Islamist group when the temporary ceasefire ends.
“We have three objectives for this war: eliminate Hamas, recover all our abductees and ensure that Gaza does not become a threat to the State of Israel again“said Netanyahu during a tour of the Palestinian enclave, in which he visited a Hamas tunnel and met with Israeli troops deployed in the area.
“We will continue until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us and we are convinced that we have the power, strength, will and determination to achieve all the objectives of the warand we will do it,” the president added, according to a statement from his office.
The exact location in Gaza where Netanyahu was was not revealed, but photos and a video of the prime minister wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest in the midst of Israeli troops were released.
These statements come during the third day of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas which will last at least until tomorrow, Monday.
For his part, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Herzi Halevi, carried out this Sunday an evaluation of the situation in the Southern Command and approved the plans to continue the war once the ceasefire is over, the Army indicated in its account. of the social network X (formerly Twitter).
On Saturday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also visited his troops in the Gaza Strip and assured that the ceasefire will be brief.
“Any future negotiations will be under fire. That is, if they want to continue discussing the next [acuerdo]it will be while the bombs are falling and the forces are fighting,” Gallant said.
Hamas carried out a massive attack against Israel on October 7 that included the launching thousands of rockets and the infiltration of some 3,000 militiamen who massacred some 1,200 people and kidnapped another 240 in Israeli villages near the Strip.
Immediately, Israel declared war and its air, naval and land forces began a strong offensive about the Palestinian enclave that has left more than 14,800 dead – most of them children and women – and that did not stop until last Friday, when both parties agreed to a four-day ceasefire.
As part of the agreement, brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, The exchange of 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners was agreedduring four days of truce, and the entry of 200 trucks of humanitarian aid daily into the Gaza Strip.
So far, Israel has freed 78 Palestinian women and teenagers, while Hamas has freed a total of 58 people: 40 Israelis, 17 Thais and one Filipino.
Additionally, in October Hamas freed four other women – two Americans and two elderly Israeli women – while Israel confirmed the death of two other hostages, a soldier and a civilian.