2023-10-20 12:04:22
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a conference with government and Knesset officials, October 20, 2023 (Israel Ministry of Defense)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has stated that the country is at war with the terrorist organization Hamas, following a meeting held today at the ministry’s headquarters in Tel Aviv this Friday. According to Gallant, it was Hamas that started the conflict, leaving Israel with no choice and thus determining its fate.
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Gallant outlined to members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, chaired by Knesset member Yuli Edelstein, the objectives of the current military campaign. These include the elimination of Hamas and the destruction of its military and governance capabilities, the elimination of Israel’s responsibility in the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a new security reality in the region.
In terms of strategy, the Minister of Defense explained that the action plan will be divided into three phases, of which the first is already underway and consists of a military campaign that includes attacks, and later operations, with the objective of neutralizing terrorists and destroy Hamas infrastructure.
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“There will be three stages. “We are now in the first phase: a military campaign that currently includes attacks and will later include maneuvers, with the aim of neutralizing the terrorists and destroying Hamas infrastructure,” the official said.
The second phase, of an intermediate nature, will require lower intensity operations aimed at eliminating the “focuses of resistance” or last terrorist bastions. “The second, intermediate stage, will require lower intensity operations, with the objective of eliminating “pockets of resistance,” Gallant indicated.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a conference with government and Knesset officials, October 20, 2023 (Israel Ministry of Defense)
The third and final phase will require the complete elimination of Israel’s responsibility in the Gaza Strip and the shaping of a new security reality for Israeli citizens. “The third phase will require the elimination of Israel’s responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel,” he concluded.
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Finally, Gallant stated that October 7 will be remembered as the date that marked the beginning of the destruction of Hamas, an organization that, in his words, sealed its own fate by forcing Israel to enter the war.
The hostages
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published new information about the 200 hostages still in the Gaza Strip, following the Hamas incursions and terrorist attacks on October 7. According to the army, more than 20 of them are under 18 years old, while between 10 and 20 are over 60 years old. Likewise, most of those kidnapped are alive, while there are corpses that were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.
As of Friday, between 100 and 200 Israelis are considered missing. When the war started, about 3,000 people were in that condition. The IDF stated that there are around 200 Israelis considered missing for whom no information is yet available.
The Army emphasized the “extreme complexity of locating information about missing people.” “Among them there are several bodies in Camp Shura that have not yet been identified and bodies that have not been brought from the camp,” he explained.
The IDF continues to carry out search operations and locate bodies near the Gaza Strip area.
The Army said it informs the families of the hostages with complete transparency, and is in “constant communication about every update that can be shared.” “There are multiple teams that are in daily contact with the families of the hostages. In the coming days, teams will be created to be in contact with the families of the missing,” he added.
Israel attacked more than a hundred Hamas targets
The Israeli Army attacked more than one hundred targets of the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip overnight, and killed Mohamed Abu Odeh, a naval agent who participated in the brutal aggression on Israeli soil on October 7.
“During the attacks, Amjad Majed Mohamed Abu Odeh, a Hamas naval agent who participated in the massacre of Israeli civilians in southern Israel, was killed. In addition, a terrorist squadron belonging to the Hamas air force was neutralized in an attack aimed at Gaza City, after they attempted to fire rockets at a plane,” an Israeli military spokesman reported.
Among the hundred Hamas targets attacked, the Israeli Army highlighted an underground tunnel, weapons warehouses and dozens of operational command centers.
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