Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday told Israeli troops to “be ready” to invade Gaza as Israeli airstrikes continued to pound the besieged enclave.
“Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside … I promise you,” Gallant told troops near the Gaza border. “It might take a week, a month, two months until we destroy them.”
Other Israeli officials addressed troops near Gaza and also signaled an invasion would happen soon. “Now, the maneuver is going to move the fighting to their territory. We are going to beat them in their territory,” said Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of the Israeli military’s Southern Command.
The Israeli officials stressed that the war will not be short. “It’s going to be difficult, long and intense,” Finkelman said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of soldiers they would be victorious. “We are going to win with all our might,” he said. “All of Israel is behind you, and we are going to heavily strike our enemies so that we can achieve victory.”
The comments from Israeli leaders came a day after President Biden visited Israel and gave his support for Israel’s plan to invade Gaza. Biden is expected to ask Congress for at least $10 billion in new military aid for Israel.
Since the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, Israeli airstrikes have pounded Gaza relentlessly. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 3,785 people have been killed in Gaza, including 1,524 children, 1,000 women and 120 elderly people.
Source: AntiWar.
