Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Katz: ‘Military pressure is impacting Hamas’s position, and we will not stop until the hostages are released.’
By World Israel News Staff
On Thursday, Israel’s Minister of Defense Israel Katz completed a security situational assessment along with new IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, approved further military operations in Gaza, and said military pressure is affecting Hamas.
He added that putting pressure on Hamas militarily will allow Israel to achieve its war objectives and secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
The Defense Minister stated, “Military pressure is impacting Hamas’s position, and we will not stop until the hostages are released.”
The head of the Operations Directorate, the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, the head of COGAT, the Commander of the Home Front Command, as well as representatives from Mossad and Shin Bet, along with other senior figures from the defense establishment, also took part in the situational assessment.
Israeli forces expanded their operations in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, just one day after IDF tanks entered the strategically important Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza.
An IDF spokesman announced on Thursday that the Israeli army, along with the Shin Bet internal security agency, had launched ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, WAFA, reported that Israeli forces stationed in the Netzarim Corridor had closed the Salah al-Din road, which runs from northern Gaza through the corridor to the southern Strip.
According to the IDF, Israeli forces have now moved beyond the Netzarim Corridor and are operating in the Beit Lahia district, located northeast of Gaza City.
“In recent hours, IDF forces have launched ground operations along the coastal axis in the Beit Lahia area in northern Gaza,” an army spokesperson said. “Before the operation, the IDF and Shin Bet targeted Hamas terror infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch positions in the Beit Lahia region. The IDF and Shin Bet are continuing to carry out waves of strikes across the Strip.”
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