Israel Netanyahu says ‘all Hamas members are dead men walking’ as preparations are underway for a ground incursion into Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister has warned that the nation is fighting for its existence, with the army preparing for a possible ground operation into Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation in a surprise address on Wednesday evening and made clear that, in his view, there are no grey areas for Hamas. “All of the places where it hides, where it operates, we will turn into ruins,” he said. “I can assure you that every Hamas member will be killed.”
He added that the two main goals of this war are to “eliminate Hamas by destroying its military and governance capabilities and to do everything possible to get our captives home.” He referred to the hundreds of Israelis kidnapped during Hamas’s massacre of civilians in their homes and at a music festival in southern Israel over the weekend. Families of the victims have been left reeling as they search for loved ones in a bloody scene that resembles a nightmare.
He says Hamas has unleashed a beast to kill, burn, slaughter, and abduct civilians. The organization has sunk so deep into hatred that it has lost all sense of decency and the will to live. The leaders of the organization who live a comfortable life outside Gaza know very well what they are doing. They are trying to turn the world against Israel and the Jewish people.”
Netanyahu spoke of a “wretched, terrible, and bloody attack” that has seen its victims dragged from their beds, stripped of their clothing, and tortured to get them to talk. He compared the assault on Israel and Russia’s actions in Ukraine, adding, “We haven’t forgotten the massacres, the bloodshed, the victims, including children.”
Vox examines some of the questions posed by Netanyahu’s speech, examining what the conflict could mean for Palestinians, what he has told the international community, and how he might change his tactics if the situation improves. The article also notes the internal divisions in Israel, sparked this year by an ideological battle over Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judiciary’s powers.
From a broad spectrum of political views, Israelis, however, have expressed solidarity with their government and soldiers as it responds to the bloody terror attack on its civilian population. Some even said they might volunteer to join the military to help with the rescue effort. Others, meanwhile, have been expressing their frustration with the ongoing conflict, wondering why it is taking so long to bring Hamas to heel and when peace can finally be made. Israels Netanyahu vowed that the devastated southern kibbutzim and communities will be rebuilt, saying, “This is our fight for our existence.” And he urged noncombatants to head to the south of the country.
