Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza will likely go on for many months, the country’s military chief said on Tuesday.
“The war will go on for many months and we will employ different methods to maintain our achievements for a long time,” chief of the general staff Herzi Halevi told reporters in a televised statement on the Gaza border.
“There are no magic solutions, there are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organisation, only determined and persistent fighting,” said Halevi. “We will reach Hamas’ leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months.”
Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas after its fighters burst into Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. Its air, sea and ground offensive in Gaza has since killed nearly 21,000 Palestinians, according to authorities.
“We said from its first moments that this would be a long war because it was right to set far-reaching goals and we will reach far, that’s why the duration will be long.” The duration, Halevi said, will allow the military to adapt its methods.
“Ultimately, will we be able to say that there is no enemy surrounding the state of Israel? I think that’s too ambitious, but we will create a new security situation,” said Halevi.
Netanyahu adviser
Ron Dermer, a close adviser to Israel’s Prime Minister and a member of the country’s war cabinet is scheduled to meet Biden administration officials this week in Washington, according to Israeli officials, amid differences between the US and Israel over the scope and timetable of Israel’s war against Hamas and plans for the future control of Gaza.
The US has been placing pressure on Israel to lower the intensity of the war and reduce harm to Gazan civilians. The Israeli government has said it is planning for a new phase of the fighting, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has insisted that his military will keep up the war until all of its goals are achieved.
“We’re not stopping, we are continuing to fight and are deepening the fighting in the coming days,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his Likud party on Monday,
adding: “This will be a long battle, and it is not close to ending.”
The talks in Washington are expected to focus on the next phase of the war as well as what happens in Gaza after the fighting ends, one of the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate talks.
The official said that Dermer was scheduled to meet Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, with whom he speaks by phone several times a week, and with secretary of state Antony J. Blinken, among others.