Netanyahu says war entering ‘second stage’

Oct 30, 2023, 10:14 am

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Rockets are being fired from Gaza, where Palestinian militant group Hamas has ruled, towards Israel on Oct. 28, 2023./ Source: AFP, Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Lee Jang-won

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday his country’s war with Hamas has entered its second stage as Israeli troops and armored vehicles push into Gaza, home to Palestinian militant group Hamas, in an expansion of ground operations.

In a press conference in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said the war had entered its second stage due to ground operations the day before, adding, “It will be a long and hard” war.

“This is the second stage of the war whose goals are clear,” he said, adding that every effort would be made to rescue the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas.

Netanyahu said the rescue of hostages and the collapse of Hamas never go against each other, explaining that contacts for the release of hostages continued even during the operation.

Reuters quoted sources as saying that the Qatar-led talks between Israel and Hamas have not broken down, but are taking place at a much slower pace than before the escalation of ground operations.

Earlier, Hamas demanded the release of 6,000 Palestinians held in Israel in exchange for the release of hostages.

“We are ready to conduct an immediate prisoner exchange deal that includes the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for all prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance,” Hamas’ leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, said, according to AFP.

Meanwhile, Iran has warned that it will respond to Israel’s declaration of a ground war in Gaza. “Zionist regime’s crimes have crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action,” Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said Sunday in a post on social media.

#Netanyahu #Israel #Hamas