Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel will not attempt to conquer, rule or occupy the Gaza Strip. For a “better future,” Hamas must be defeated, he said in a TV interview. Netanyahu spoke in favor of a short ceasefire, but was strongly opposed to a ceasefire.
He has not set a timetable for the war against the Islamist group ruling the Gaza Strip, “because it could take longer,” the Israeli prime minister told US broadcaster Fox News (see video above). “We must destroy Hamas, not just for our sake, but for the sake of the people. In the interests of civilization, in the interests of both Palestinians and Israelis.” The Gaza Strip must be demilitarized, deradicalized and rebuilt.
Safe passage out of combat zone for civilians
Netanyahu wants to continue offering civilians a safe escape from the fighting zone in the Gaza Strip. “The fight against Hamas, the Hamas terrorists, continues, but we want to allow civilians safe passage out of the combat zone in certain places for a certain period of time, a few hours here, a few hours there. And that is what we do,” said the 74-year-old.
Netanyahu emphasized again in the interview that Israel had not agreed to a ceasefire. “A ceasefire with Hamas means a surrender to Hamas,” he said. “So there will be no ceasefire without the release of the Israeli hostages.”
Earlier in Washington, National Security Council communications director John Kirby said Israel had agreed to daily four-hour humanitarian breaks in the northern part of the sealed-off Gaza Strip. A senior Israeli government official confirmed to the Times of Israel that “humanitarian pauses” had been agreed. Accordingly, the “tactical, local” breaks are intended to allow Gaza residents to flee from the north to the south, away from the most contested areas.
Tens of thousands are taking advantage of a ceasefire to escape
Netanyahu’s office had previously referred to an existing civilian escape corridor in the Gaza Strip from north to south, where Israel currently regularly promises people safe passage for a few hours. It said 50,000 people used the escape route on Wednesday.
Hamas: Israel bombed hospitals
Meanwhile, authorities in the Gaza Strip, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, said Israel carried out at least three airstrikes on or near hospitals on Friday. “The Israeli occupation has attacked several hospitals simultaneously in recent hours,” Gaza Health Authority spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra told Al Jazeera television.
The largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, Al Shifa, was also attacked. According to Israeli information, Hamas has hidden command centers and tunnels in and underneath it. Hamas denies this and the Israeli army has not yet commented on Qidra’s statements. The information could not be independently verified.
Source: Krone
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