Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday visited the Israeli-occupied side of the Gaza Strip and vowed there would be Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territory as he continues to reject a US-backed proposal that would involve Hamas disarming and the IDF leaving Gaza.
“We control the area. We are not withdrawing. We remain on this line. We control 60% of the Strip, and there is more to come because we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us, we are doing that day in and day out,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office.
He referenced a ground raid that was conducted by Israeli forces in Gaza City on Tuesday, which marked an escalation of Israel’s military operations and constant ceasefire violations in Gaza. Israeli officials said the operation resulted in the capture of a senior Hamas official, and at least four Palestinians, including two children, were killed by Israeli airstrikes during the raid.
“Yesterday we took Hamas’s ‘Head of Shin Bet’ [chief of internal security service]. We will surely learn a few things,” Netanyahu said.
A day earlier, Netanyahu said the raid was conducted by Israel’s Shin Bet and the IDF, though Haaretz reported that Israeli-backed Palestinian militia members were also involved. Israel continues to back several armed Palestinian groups who are based in the IDF-occupied side of Gaza, including one militia that started as an aid-looting gang and has ties to ISIS.
Netanyahu concluded his statement on Wednesday by saying Israel is “doing everything to reach our goal: the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza. Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. This goal has actually been achieved to a large extent, and there is more work to complete – and we will complete it.”
Despite Netanyahu’s rejection of the US-backed Hamas disarmament proposal and President Trump’s calls for Israel to stop bombing Gaza, the US continues supporting Israel’s attacks in the Strip.
Israeli media reported that a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that took place on August 17 ended with an agreement that Israel would continue bombing Gaza.
