enjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ‘demolish’ Hamas as troops make final preparations for an assault on Gaza and the US works on an aid package to alleviate civilian suffering.
Israeli forces are massed on the border with the Gaza Strip as they seek to destroy Hamas for carring out an attack which claimed more than 1,300 Israeli lives.
The Israeli Prime Minister has asked if his troops are “ready for the next stage” and pledged to “destroy Hamas”.
He said on Sunday: “They (the troops) know that the entire nation is behind them. They understand the scope of the mission. They are ready to take action at any time in order to defeat the bloodthirsty monsters who have risen against us to destroy us.”
Netanyahu’s office released footage showing ministers in Tel Aviv giving a minute’s silence in tribute to the Israelis killed after a surprise attack by Hamas last Saturday.
He said “Hamas thought we would be demolished. It is we who will demolish Hamas.”
His rallying call to the Israeli nation came as British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warned Hamas wants to turn the conflict into a “war between the Muslim world and the wider world”.
He added: “It’s in Israel’s interest to avoid civilian casualties and Palestinian casualties”. Iran, which backs Hamas, indicated on Sunday that it would not take part in a direct military conflict against Israel unless it were attacked first.
It is estimated some 300,000 troops have massed on the border ready to push into Gaza where it is believed more than 100 hostages snatched from Israel are being held. Up to ten of those held are believed to be British.
The response from Israel so far has seen thousands of bombs raining down on Gaza triggering a humanitarian crisis. There have been more than 2,600 deaths, according to the Palestinian Health Authority.
Meanwhile Israel had cut off water and power from the territory and blockaded all food and goods going in. Despite Israel saying water will be restored to some areas, the UN has said the situation is dire.
An Israeli order to evacuate the North of the Gaza Strip as its troops prepare to enter has caused chaos and prompted allegations that the country bombed a convoy of up to 70 civilians despite a pledge to give safe passage.
Israel, which denies targeting civilians, estimates that 600,000 Gazans have so far evacuated the area likely to soon become a combat zone.
US President Joe Biden says he has spoken with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and has expressed aid for Gaza as priority.
He said he condemned Hamas’s attack on Israel and “reiterated that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination”.
However, he added on X: “I assured him (Mahmoud Abbas) that we’re working with partners in the region to ensure humanitarian supplies reach civilians in Gaza and to prevent the conflict from widening.”
Meanwhile US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been in talks with governments throughout the Middle East. While emphasising that the US stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel he has also warned that Gazan civilians must be protected.
The top US diplomat met for nearly an hour on Sunday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at his residence in the Riyadh area, a US official said. Blinken said the meeting was “Very productive”.
Meanwhile the Israel Defense Forces says it is completing preparations for a “significant ground operation” in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the IDF says it is readying to “expand the offensive” by implementing a “wide range of offensive operational plans” which it says include a “joint and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.” Israeli special forces have already launched limited incursions into Gaza to hunt for hostages held by Hamas.
