Israeli Defense Minister Says ‘We Are Steadily Choking Hamas” and Preparing For Alternative Government in Gaza
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Sunday afternoon that Israel has been “steadily choking” Hamas by cutting it off from its supply routes on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt and is working on establishing an alternative government in the Palestinian enclave.
Gallant said on Sunday that Israel would not accept Hamas continuing to rule Gaza at any stage during the process to end the war and is examining alternatives to the terrorist group.
“We will isolate areas (in Gaza), remove Hamas operatives from these areas, and introduce forces that will enable an alternative government to form – an alternative that threatens Hamas,” Gallant stated on Sunday.
On Sunday, Israeli forces continued their “precise, intelligence-based targeted operations” in Gaza’s Rafah city, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Ground forces remain active in various parts of Gaza, including the central Strip. Over the past 24 hours, Israel Air Force (IAF) fighter jets have struck more than 30 terror targets, including military infrastructure, weapons storage facilities, and armed terrorist cells.
“The operation in Rafah is progressing both above and below ground. The forces are fighting with great determination and are destroying the lifeline connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt. We are steadily choking Hamas, preventing it from continuing to exist – it will not have the ability to reinforce, grow stronger, or arm itself,” Gallant added.
Since Israel took full operational control of the Philadelphi Corridor, an 8.7-mile-long corridor separating the Gaza Strip and Egypt, numerous tunnels have been uncovered. According to the Israeli army, at least 20 tunnels have been discovered, and investigations are ongoing to determine how many were used by Hamas to transport weapons, cash, and possibly people across the border.
Additionally, at least 82 tunnel shafts were discovered and are expected to be destroyed after Israel completes its investigations.
Israel has shared this information with Egypt, which had previously denied the existence of such tunnels.
Egypt hosted Israeli and American officials on Sunday to discuss the reopening of the Rafah crossing, a vital crossing for aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip.
Al-Qahera News, which is connected to Egyptian intelligence, quoted an unidentified senior official on Saturday stating that Cairo was demanding “a total Israeli withdrawal” from the terminal on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
Egyptian security sources described Sunday’s meeting as positive despite no agreement being reached on reopening the Rafah crossing. The Egyptian delegation expressed openness to having European monitors oversee the border’s operation by Palestinian authorities if they agreed to resume work. Meanwhile, according to Egyptian sources, Israeli and American officials committed to swiftly removing obstacles to the crossing’s operation.
In May, Israel seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing during its offensive along the enclave’s southern edge, angering Egypt and leaving relations between Cairo and Jerusalem strained.
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