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Ground operation in Gaza should not be rushed — Israeli envoy to Russia

"We may do it now, tomorrow, in a month or two, but we will do it. We need to choose the right moment," Alexander Ben Zvi pointed out

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Israel’s top priority is to destroy Hamas, but that does not mean it is going to rush a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi said at a press briefing.

"Such operations must be chosen wisely," he said when asked why a ground operation has not been launched.

"What we need to do now is move toward our goal of destroying the Hamas terrorist structure," the ambassador pointed out. "We may do it now, tomorrow, in a month or two, but we will do it. We need to choose the right moment."

"There is no need to rush," he emphasized.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East as militants from the radical Palestinian Hamas movement staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip as it has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 6,000 others have suffered wounds. In Israel, over 1,500 people have lost their lives and roughly 4,000 have been wounded.