Israeli defence minister declares that the war in Gaza has reached a new phase
Gaza, Tel Aviv — Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, announced to the country on Saturday night that the military had launched a “second stage” of operations against Hamas, extending its air, land, and sea assaults and deploying ground soldiers into Gaza. According to him, things will only become worse until a large-scale ground invasion occurs.
It’s going to take a while and be tough, he added. “We are ready.” The majority of the territory’s communications were disrupted by the shelling, which Gaza residents regarded as the most intensive of the conflict. This allowed the Israeli military to dominate the narrative in the new round of battle while effectively cutting off the 2.3 million residents of the besieged enclave from the outside world.
The military said that jets blasted many Hamas tunnels and underground bunkers after releasing blurry photos on Saturday that showed tank columns moving slowly across open regions of Gaza, many of which appeared to be close to the border. Following its brutal foray into Israel three weeks ago, Israel’s drive to destroy the dominant party in the area has made the subterranean installations a primary target.
The intensification increased public pressure on Israel’s administration to free the scores of hostages taken in the Hamas attack on October 7, raising fears they were being detained in secret.
In a desperate attempt to save their family, desperate relatives met with Netanyahu on Saturday and offered their support for the swap proposed by the Gaza-based chief of Hamas for Palestinian inmates detained in Israel.
Israel is committed to freeing all of the captives, Netanyahu declared at the nationally broadcast news conference, adding that the growing ground operation “will help us in this mission.” He said that because of the sensitive nature and confidentiality of the work being done, he was unable to disclose all.
For the first time since the conflict started, Netanyahu answered questions from the media. “This is the second stage of the war, whose objectives are clear: to destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and bring the hostages home,” he said. He ignored requests for an end to hostilities.
After more than 1,400 people were murdered in the Oct. 7 “debacle,” Netanyahu said that a full inquiry would be required and that “everyone will have to answer questions, including me.”