Israel is moving toward completing “the phase of eliminating the terrorist army of Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech to students at the National Defense College, the Times of Israel reported.
Netanyahu explained that IDF operations will continue to “hit the remnants” of Hamas and reiterated – in the presence of foreign students from Germany, Singapore, Japan, Italy, the Czech Republic and South Korea – that Israel will achieve all its war objectives.
And while the exchange of accusations between ministers and security officials continues, Netanyahu called the release of al-Shifa hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya “a grave mistake and an ethical failure.” “This man, on whose responsibility our hostages were held captive and murdered, belongs in prison,” Netanyahu stressed in a statement. According to the prime minister, who has asked for an investigation on the release of Abu Salmiya, the decision was taken without the knowledge of the political leaders and heads of security agencies. Tomorrow, meanwhile, a first report from the director of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, is expected.
Blinken: 3 Unacceptable Scenarios for Gaza’s Future
“We know that There are three things that are unacceptable for the future of Gaza: an Israeli occupation, continued Hamas leadership, or chaos, anarchy, and lawlessness — which is what we are seeing today in much of Gaza,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a speech at the Brookings Institution. “When this conflict ends, it cannot and should not end with a power vacuum in Gaza. It must end in a way that ensures there are clear, coherent, and actionable plans for the governance, security, and reconstruction of Gaza,” Blinken added.
The US Secretary of State later admitted that War in Lebanon can break out even if none of the parties involved want itStressing that Israel “has effectively lost sovereignty in the northern quadrant of the country because people don’t feel safe going home,” Blinken reiterated his belief that the Jewish state does not want a war in Lebanon, but conceded that “they may be prepared to fight one if necessary — from their perspective — to protect their interests.”
According to the Secretary of State, Hezbollah also does not really want war or Lebanon because it would be the first victim. “On the one hand, no one really wants a war. On the other hand, there is a momentum that could lead in the direction that we are determined to try to stop,” he concluded.
Islamic Jihad’s Largest Rocket Production Site Destroyed in Rafah
Was located and destroyed in Rafah, southern Gaza, what is believed to be the largest rocket production site of the Islamic Jihad discovered so far in the Palestinian enclave. The IDF announced this, stressing that troops from the Commando Brigade, the 401st Armored Brigade and the elite Yahalom military engineering unit raided a compound and an underground site in the northwestern neighborhood of Tel Sultan in the past few hours.
The military, according to the IDF, discovered an underground facility used by the Islamic Jihad to produce rocket parts and long-range rockets. The site has been used to build hundreds of projectiles in recent years. During the raid, according to the IDF, there were clashes above and below ground and several operatives of the jihadist group were killed using drones and guided missiles.
Israel Hit by Rockets from Quds Brigades
Meanwhile, Israel today was once again targeted by rockets launched by Palestinian militias. At least twenty were launched from the Gaza Strip, and in particular from Khan Younis in the south, towards border communities. According to the Israel Defense Forces, some were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, while others fell in the south of the country. The action was claimed by the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad. The organization was the target of an Israeli attack yesterday that targeted the home of a leader of the Tulkarem cell in the West Bank.
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