In a speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the killing of Israeli soldiers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his government to continue the military operations, saying that the fighting will continue “from Rafah to Jabal Al -Sheikh to the achievement of decisive victory,” as he put it.
Netanyahu added that “Israel’s survival is conditional on a series of sacrifices,” referring to what he described as “the role of Israeli fighters currently in defending the state.”
Netanyahu’s statements come in the wake of similar positions made by the Israeli Defense Minister, Yisrael Katz, who in turn stressed that “the main goal of Israel in Gaza is to achieve a clear victory without making any concessions.”
Katz explained that the lesson extracted from the attack of the seventh of October 2023 is imposed on the Israeli army permanently stationed in strategic locations, from the border strip with Lebanon and Jabal Al -Sheikh, through security areas in Syria and camps in the northern West Bank, to the outskirts of Gaza, and between the Israeli towns.
Earlier, Katz announced that the Israeli forces will remain in Gaza, southern Lebanon, and Syria “until another notice”, which reflects the Israeli military leadership’s adherence to extending the field presence in those areas.
These statements coincided with the continued efforts of international brokers to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and conclude an agreement to exchange prisoners between Israel and Hamas.
In the same context, Israeli media reported that the army issued orders to recruit thousands of reserve soldiers in armored and pedestrian weapons, in preparation for the possibility of expanding the land operation in Gaza if the ongoing negotiations stumbled.
A new proposal was also circulated to a temporary stop of the war in the sector for a period of six months, which includes the opening of the Rafah crossing and the resumption of the entry of humanitarian aid, within a specific human protocol.
On the other hand, Hamas renewed its adherence to a comprehensive stop of the war and a complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of all the remaining Israeli prisoners.
