Netanyahu said that some of the troops will soon move to the northern parts of Israel to the border with Lebanon.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the country’s military’s heaviest military operations against the extremist organization Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah are almost over.
However, he did not give a timetable for the end of the fighting. According to Netanyahu, the war against Hamas is not over, even though the fiercest battles are waning.
– However, it does not mean the end of the war, but that the intensive part of the war in Rafah is coming to an end.
Netanyahu said that some of the troops will soon move to the northern parts of Israel to the border with Lebanon, but only for “security reasons”. Tens of thousands of Israelis have left their homes in the northern parts of Israel, where the country has been fighting almost daily battles against the Iranian-backed extremist group Hezbollah.
Gaza civilian administration
According to Netanyahu, he does not agree to a truce requiring an end to hostilities in Gaza. This suggested he was open to a partial deal to return hostages held by Hamas.
– The goal is to return the kidnapped and eradicate the Hamas regime in Gaza, Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also reiterated his demand that the West Bank regime should not control Gaza. According to him, the military control of the region should be in the hands of Israel, but he stated that Israel wants to establish a civilian administration in the region, possibly with the help of the local Palestinians and other countries in the region.
Sources: AFP, Reuters