Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to ensure “crushing victory over our enemies”;
Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, its prime minister has said, describing the coming war in biblical terms.
Binyamin Netanyahu spoke of Israel's “hellfire” in a prime-time televised address. “have already killed thousands of terrorists,” adding that every member of Hamas is “doomed” and “this is just the beginning.”
This was the first time an Israeli leader had directly mentioned a ground invasion, but he stopped short of talking about timing of any operation, insisting only that he, his war cabinet and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would decide when to begin. .
He also made no mention of a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, despite growing international calls to help civilians facing dire conditions in the Gaza Strip.
“It is my responsibility” to lead Israel to a “peaceful resolution.” overwhelming victory over our enemies,” he said.
“We will fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 60:18: 'Violence will no longer be heard in your land.'”
The Bible verse says about the holy city of Zion, which is being created in Israel for the oppressed people.
“Light will overcome darkness,” he added.
Mr Netanyahu, who struck a defiant tone throughout his short speech, faced questions about when Israel would invade .
The IDF is reported to be pushing for a speedy green light, while media close to the prime minister said he is concerned that a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip will open a second front with Hezbollah
“I won't go into detail about when, how and how much,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
“I also won't go into detail about the various calculations we do, which the public is mostly aware of.” doesn't know, and that's just the way things are. But for the first time, Netanyahu admitted that he would have to personally give “answers” for security failures exposed in the October 7 attacks, when hundreds of Hamas militants stormed Israel, killing 1,400 people. people.
An Israeli howitzer near the Gaza border before the planned invasion. Photo: Shutterstock
Reports also emerged on Wednesday that Israel had agreed to delay a ground offensive so the US could build an air defense to protect troops from rockets and rockets in the region.
The Pentagon is rushing to deploy air defense systems to protect Americans in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Israel has reportedly agreed to abstain. until defenses are in place, which could happen as early as this week.
Washington believes that US military installations in the Middle East will be targeted by various militant groups once the Israeli offensive begins.< /p>< p>In his speech, Mr. Netanyahu called on Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip to move south, away from the danger of the impending invasion, and called on Israeli citizens to bear arms.
He said Israel was doing everything possible to release more than 200 hostages held by Hamas.
But he made no mention of any further deal to secure the negotiated release of the hostages, amid reports that Qatar hopes to secure the release. 50 prisoners in the near future.
Sources briefed on the talks told The Telegraph that the Gulf state hoped a deal could be concluded as soon as Wednesday.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said his country had received “several pieces of information that give us hope for the coming hours.”
Mr Macron visited Egypt on Wednesday. Photo: Shutterstock
Joe Biden said after Mr. Netanyahu's speech that Israel has the right to respond to the Hamas attack but must do “everything in its power” to protect civilians.< /p>
He also repeated calls for a two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis once the current conflict subsides.
Mr Biden said he did not believe the Palestinians were telling the truth about the sacrifices suffered in the Israeli campaign.
The enclave's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory strikes by Israeli forces.However, Mr Biden said Israel had to be “incredibly careful” to ensure it was targeting the right people.
The US president also denied telling Netanyahu to refrain from any offensive, but stated that “if it is possible to get these people out safely, that is what we should do.”
Israeli military vehicle near the border with Lebanon Photo: REUTERS
Earlier in the day, Mr Macron said he believed it would be a “mistake” if Israel launched a “massive ground intervention” in the Gaza Strip.
He told reporters in Egypt: “ France recognizes Israel's right to self-defense. As for the ground intervention, if it is entirely against terrorist groups, that is the choice he has, but if it is a massive operation that will endanger the civilian population, in which case I think it will be a mistake for Israel.” /p>
Meanwhile, Britain said it was discussing “humanitarian pauses” with other European countries to allow aid in Gaza, but rejected a “full ceasefire”, saying it would only benefit Hamas.
p>Rishi Sunak told Parliament that a Royal Air Force plane carrying 21 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip left the UK for Egypt on Wednesday morning. The Prime Minister did not specify how or when aid would be delivered from Egypt to Gaza.
“We will continue to do everything possible to increase the flow of aid, including fuel, into Gaza,” Mr. said. Sunak said.
Grant Shapps, the defense secretary, said he had asked his Israeli counterpart to “ensure that there is no military action, particularly around the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt, so that we can get that humanitarian aid to come.”
In the ITV interview, Mr Shapps also called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to “retract” remarks saying Israel's “stifling occupation” was linked to the October 7 Hamas attack.
“I definitely thought his remarks were incredibly inappropriate,” he said.
Israel said that rejected the visa request, the head of Britain's UN aid agency responded, with Mr Sunak saying he disagreed with Mr Guterres' comments.
Downing Street said: “Clearly we do not agree with this characterization put forward. It is clear to us that there is and cannot be any justification for the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas, which was motivated by hatred and ideology.”
On Wednesday Mr Guterres said it was “false” to suggest that he was in any way committed in an attempt to justify the barbarity of Hamas.
This happened after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but is fighting for its territory.
Mr. Erdogan said: “This is a liberation group, the Mujahideen, fighting to protect their lands and people.”
He also criticized Western powers who have voiced support for Israel's response to Hamas, saying: “Western tears shed for Israel are a fraud.”
Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, called the comments “serious and disgusting and have not helped in de-escalation.”
Any ground attack on the densely populated enclave is expected to lead to fierce urban fighting and heavy casualties for combatants and trapped civilians.
Israeli troops trying to clear Hamas' vast tunnel system under the Gaza Strip are expected to use new high-tech weapons, including “sponge bombs” containing a chemical compound that seals passages.
Specialized teams in the IDF Corps of Engineers have been equipped with new devices that use foam that quickly expands and then hardens.
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