Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country’s war to eliminate Hamas has entered a new phase as the country once again fights for its survival.
The remarks come after the Palestinian Islamic terrorists massacred more than 1,400 Israelis, wounded 5,200+ more, and took hundreds hostage during an unprecedented terrorist attack on October 7. Children were beheaded, babies burned alive, and women raped so violently that their dead bodies were discovered to have broken pelvises.
Israel launched the most intense airstrikes of the campaign against Hamas in northern Gaza on Friday night, hitting 150 targets in the terrorists’ underground tunnel network. Footage released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also showed a much larger group of ground units entering Gaza than had entered the previous two nights in limited raids.
“Yesterday evening, additional ground forces of ours entered the gates of Gaza. This is the second stage of the war, the goals of which are clear: Destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, and bringing the captives back home,” Netanyahu said. “We made the decision to expand ground operations unanimously, both in the War Cabinet and in the Security Cabinet. We did this in a balanced and considered way, based on a commitment to ensure both the destiny of the state and the security of our soldiers.”
He said that he met with the hostages’ families and reassured them that the country is doing everything it can to get their loved ones back.
“Whoever dares to accuse our soldiers of war crimes are hypocritical liars who lack so much as one drop of morality. The IDF is the most moral army in the world,” he said. “The IDF does everything to avoid harming non-combatants. I again call on the civilian population to evacuate to a safe area in the southern Gaza Strip.”
He said Israel’s continually increasing intensity of airstrikes against Hamas was only the beginning.
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“We have eliminated countless terrorists, including arch-terrorists, and we have destroyed many terrorist command posts and infrastructure. We are only just getting started,” he said. “The war inside the Gaza Strip will be long and difficult – and we are ready for it. This is our second war of independence. We will fight to defend our homeland.”
“We will fight and not retreat. We will fight on land, at sea and in the air. We will destroy the enemy above ground and below ground. We will fight and we will win,” he continued. “This will be a victory of good over evil, of light over darkness, of life over death. In this war we will stand steadfast, more united than ever, certain in the justice of our cause. This is the mission of our lives. This is also the mission of my life.”
“On behalf of all of us, I pray for the wellbeing of our soldiers: ‘May G-d make the enemies who rise against us be struck down before them! May He subdue our enemies under them and crown them with deliverance and victory,'” he concluded.
WATCH:
הצטרפו לשידור החי: ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו, שר הבטחון יואב גלנט, והשר בני גנץ מקיימים מסיבת עיתונאים משותפת, בקריה בתל אביב.
https://t.co/cZn88wdghI— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) October 28, 2023