Israel yesterday pressed its offensive in the Gaza Strip after telling the US that the war to crush Hamas would last “more than several months.”
On Thursday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
During their meeting, Gallant warned that Israel’s fight with Hamas “will require a period of time — it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them.”
Photo: AFP
The war began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Vowing to destroy Hamas and bring home an estimated 240 hostages taken by militants into Gaza, Israel launched a massive military offensive that has left swathes of the besieged territory in ruins.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the war has killed more than 18,700 people.
The ministry yesterday said that dozens of people had been killed or injured in Israeli strikes on Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, while witnesses said several people had been killed in airstrikes on Nuseirat in central Gaza.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that troops were engaged in fighting with militants in two districts of Gaza City late on Thursday.
“There will be more tough battles in the days to come,” Hagari said.
The Israeli military said that 117 troops have died in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive.
It also said the body of a hostage named Elia Toledano, who was among those kidnapped on Oct. 7, had been recovered and returned to Israel.
“We are working together with security agencies, and with all intelligence and operational means in order to return all of the hostages home,” the army said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh in an interview on Thursday said that the administration of US President Joe Biden must now “walk the walk” and take specific steps toward what has been an elusive two-state solution, including by applying pressure on Israel.
“Now that the United States has talked the talk, we want Washington to walk the walk, meaning that we need specific measures to implement the two-state solution, not only believe in the two-state solution,” Shtayyeh said.
The US has disagreed with Israel on a post-war scenario.
Additional reporting by AP
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