Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated on Wednesday that the effort to eradicate the Hamas terrorist group will resume once the ongoing process to secure the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip concludes. This commitment to persist in the conflict was echoed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, all expressing readiness to immediately advance the military campaign.
Simultaneously, negotiations are in progress to potentially extend the current deal beyond Wednesday for an additional two or more days. An official from the Prime Minister’s Office mentioned that Israel will advocate for the release of all children and civilian women hostages through the existing ceasefire agreement before broadening talks to include the liberation of adult males and soldier hostages.
Israel has pledged to dismantle Hamas following a large-scale cross-border terror attack last month, where the group invaded from the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of over 1,200 people in southern Israel, predominantly civilians. Approximately 240 individuals were also taken hostage by the terrorists.
A temporary truce has been established, requiring Hamas to release around 10 Israeli women and children daily. In exchange, Israel has paused its offensive and allowed increased humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Additionally, Israel has released three Palestinian security prisoners for each hostage set free. The cabinet has approved the truce, set to last up to 10 days if Hamas continues releasing hostages, starting from last Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin
In a statement, Netanyahu said that destroying Hamas was still a prime objective along with returning hostages to Israel.
“From the beginning of the war, I set three goals: the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our abductees, and to ensure that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel,” the prime minister said. “These three goals remain in place.”