The Israeli army is preparing for a possible ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. “We are preparing for a ground maneuver if this is decided by the political leadership,” military spokesman Richard Hecht said on Thursday. NATO countries remind Israel to comply with international law.
The final decision to actually invade the Gaza Strip with ground troops has not yet been made, Hecht continued. Given the images of widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli spokesman emphasized that there was “no carpet bombing” in the Palestinian territory.
Israel emphasizes ‘targeted’ attacks
“We do not attack any target that is not based on intelligence information,” Hecht explained. The attacks were “bigger than anything we’ve seen before,” he said. However, the army always receives concrete information about where militant Palestinians are hiding. “If anyone involved absconds, we will warn (citizens) about the attack,” he said. “People who want to leave, then leave.”
The entire Hamas leadership must be eliminated
With the attacks in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army wants to eliminate the entire leadership of the Islamic Hamas that rules there. This includes not only the military, but also Hamas’s political leadership, Hecht said.
“We are focused on taking out the senior leadership, all the way down to (Hamas leader Yahya) al-Sinwar,” Hecht said. According to Israeli information, political leaders, including Sinwar, were also aware of the attack plans. Efforts are also being made to identify all terrorists involved in the killings and kidnappings in Israel.
NATO reminds us of ‘proportionality’
At the same time, NATO states called on the Israeli army to maintain ‘proportionality’. “Israel is not alone,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels. Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant participated in the event via video.
Israel has “the right to defend itself against these unjustified acts of terror, while maintaining proportionality,” the NATO states said. They called on Hamas to “immediately release all hostages” and called for “the utmost protection for civilians.” US President Joe Biden had warned that Israel must adhere to international law “despite all the anger and frustration”.
Source: Krone
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