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Middle East conflict

Israel to control entire Gaza Strip following military operation — Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister reiterated that the main goals of the Israeli military operation in the embattled enclave are the release of hostages and the elimination of the Gaza-based Palestinian movement Hamas

TEL AVIV, May 21. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted at a press conference that, following the conclusion of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will control all parts of the Gaza Strip.

In order to do so, Israel must prevent a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave to retain flexibility in the region, the Israeli head of government added.

The Israeli premier said that at the end of the operation, "all of Gaza’s territories will be under Israeli security control, and Hamas will be totally defeated."

Netanyahu reiterated that the main goals of the Israeli military operation in the embattled enclave are the release of hostages and the elimination of the Gaza-based Palestinian movement Hamas or any threat to Israel originating in the Strip.

Speaking on the IDF’s expanded engagement in Gaza, Netanyahu laid out three phases of Operation Gideon’s Chariots: the immediate entry of aid into Gaza, the opening of aid distribution points and the creation of a "sterile" humanitarian zone for civilians.

On March 18, the IDF resumed fighting in the Gaza Strip, launching massive strikes on the enclave and thus breaking the ceasefire established in January. Netanyahu’s office stated that Israel had restarted military operations in the enclave after Hamas rejected the US proposals put forward by mediators and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff. The office claimed that the Israeli military had resumed strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza to advance the release of hostages and that the army would intensify its campaign in the enclave. The Gaza-based movement has blamed the United States for the renewal of Israeli aggression.

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Palestine Israel Gaza Strip Benjamin Netanyahu

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