MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The radical Hamas movement during the ceasefire was planning new military hit-and-run raids against Israel, prompting Tel Aviv to take measures to prevent a repeat of the events of October 7, 2023, Alexander Ben Zvi, Israel's acting ambassador to Russia, has told TASS in an interview.
"We are not insisting on a forceful solution. The previous ceasefire ended 17 days ago, which is the timeframe we allowed for reaching some form of resolution. The Americans even proposed a couple of options, all of which were rejected by Hamas. It was clear from the outset that if a solution could not be reached, we would not cease military operations," he stated when asked whether a return to the previous agreement and a ceasefire were still possible.
"Moreover, Hamas has continued to transfer weapons from the southern part of the Gaza Strip to the northern region, closer to our borders, with the apparent intention of resuming military strikes against Israel. We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot permit a repetition of the events of October 7," Ben Zvi emphasized.
The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following the infiltration of armed Hamas supporters from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. This attack was marked by the killing of residents in border settlements and the taking of hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the enclave aimed at dismantling Hamas's military and political infrastructure and securing the release of all abducted individuals.
On January 15 of this year, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, announced that, thanks to mediation efforts by Doha, Cairo, and Washington, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the release of hostages held in Gaza and the establishment of a ceasefire in the region.
However, on March 18, the Israeli army resumed hostilities in the Gaza Strip, launching extensive strikes and violating the ceasefire established in January. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office attributed this escalation to Hamas's refusal to accept the proposals put forth by mediators and US special presidential envoy Steven Witkoff, asserting that the objective of the military operation was the release of all hostages. The radicals held both Israel and the US responsible for the resumption of hostilities.