Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday vowed to continue operations inside Gaza as long as it is necessary and said that Israel has no plans on relenting in its attacks against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
Addressing the press conference on Saturday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “They attacked our capital, they fired rockets at our cities. They’re paying and will continue to pay dearly for that”. Blaming Palestinian terror outfit Hamas for the crisis in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would carry out strikes inside Gaza as long as it is necessary. The Israeli PM said they would avoid targetting civilian casualties.
“The party that bears the guilt for this confrontation is not us, it’s those attacking us. We are still in the midst of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech.
PM Netanyahu said that Israel Defence Force, unlike Hamas that is deliberately targeting civilians in Israel, is doing everything to avoid harming civilians, and are directly striking terrorists instead.
US President Biden speaks to Israel PM
With the Israel-Palestine conflict escalating, US President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing crisis in the region. Biden’s call to Israel PM comes after Israeli Defense Force (IDF) carried out counter-terror operations in Gaza and brought down high-rise buildings in Gaza that housed several media outlets, including The Associated Press and the Al Jazeera office.
A statement released by the White House read, “The President reaffirmed his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. He condemned these indiscriminate attacks against towns and cities across Israel. The President noted that this current period of conflict has tragically claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children. He raised concerns about the safety and security of journalists and reinforced the need to ensure their protection.”
Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu apprised Biden about the counter-terror operations and said that Israel had demolished the buildings only after evacuating the uninvolved from the towers. PM Netanyahu said he was doing everything to avoid harming the uninvolved.
Earlier on May 12, Joe Biden had said that Israel has the right to defend itself when thousands of rockets are fired at its territory. He answered one of the reporters who asked him about his views on the ongoing escalation in Israel.
IDF demolishes Al Jazeera office tower
On Saturday, in a swift operation, the IDF demolished a building that housed international media offices, including Al Jazeera’s in the Gaza Strip. The IDF has said that the building was being used by the Islamic terror group Hamas, making it a valid military target.
Reportedly, the owner of Al Jalaa tower, Jawad Mehendi, had received a call from the Israeli Defence Force warning him of an airstrike at the tower. The owner was asked to evacuate his 11-story building and was given 60 minutes to do so.
The hostilities between the Jewish nation and its nemesis Hamas are at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started last week. The main reason behind the current conflict is the Sheikh Jarrah property dispute, a dispute which can lead to the evictions of around 300 Palestinians from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood.
However, Islamic terror group Hamas has escalated the clashes by unleashing a massive attack against Israel. The terror outfit Hamas has attacked Israeli civilians by launching hundreds of rockets. In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli army has struck terror outfit Hamas and its leadership deep inside Gaza by carrying our precision strikes.
