TEL AVIV (dpa-AFX) – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the army to present him with “a plan for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza” as soon as possible. Hamas must be completely dismantled if those abducted from Israel are not released by the time US President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Israel Katz said, according to his office.
Israel’s defense minister probably wants to increase the pressure on Hamas to give in to the negotiations currently underway in Qatar regarding a ceasefire and the release of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, so far there has been no breakthrough in the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas.
Already at the beginning of the war, the Israeli leadership had defined the destruction of the military capabilities and government apparatus of the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip as one of its war goals. However, this goal has not yet been achieved.
Katz also called on the Israeli military to identify possible obstacles to implementing such a plan. Politics must address these problems in order to enable Hamas to be completely eliminated.
The army is waging a “heroic war” in the Gaza Strip, Katz said during a situation assessment on Thursday, according to his office. But the “operation method” must be changed in order to completely destroy Hamas./cir/DP/men