‘Our war against Hamas is not a war against the people of Gaza’: Yoav Gallant

Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant is holding a news conference with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after talks in Tel Aviv.

Gallant says Israel has been destroying Hamas’s infrastructure and taking out its leadership. “We will continue until we fully achieve our goals,” he said.

Austin, for his part, said the US’s support for Israel is steadfast and unwavering.

“We will continue to work together for a safer, more secure future for Israel and a brighter future for Palestinians,” he said.

“Protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic imperative,” the Pentagon chief told reporters. “We will also continue to urge the protection of civilians during conflict and to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Austin also said that attacks by “extremist settlers” in the West Bank must stop, and those committing the violence must be held accountable.

Gallant said at the news conference with Austin that Hamas will not control Gaza.

“We will have the freedom to eliminate any kind of threat in the future. There will be no serious military threats from Gaza,” he said.

But the Israeli defence minister also said that Israel “will not control Gaza in any civilian way”.

“We will conduct any operation in order to secure our future, and we are building the routes for non-hostile partners on the other side.”

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