Israel’s Minister of Defence, Israel Katz, has come out to make it clear that, “Israel is not fighting the civilians in Gaza”, however, “we will not stop until our hostages are released”.
Israel and Palestinian fighters, known as, Hamas, started fighting in the early hours of Saturday 7 October, 2023 after Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,000 Israelis and taking many others hostage.
The Israeli Defence Minister said, “Israel is doing everything that international law requires to mitigate harm to civilians.”
Katz said: “Israel is fighting Hamas and will defeat Hamas. Let me be clear – Israel is not fighting the civilians in Gaza and is doing everything that international law requires to mitigate harm to civilians.
“But when Hamas fights in civilian dress, from civilian homes, and from behind civilians, it puts civilians in danger and they pay a horrible price. That is why we are urging Gazans to evacuate combat zones.
“I reiterate – we will not stop until our hostages are released and Hamas is no longer in control of the Gaza Strip and is no longer a threat to Israel and Israelis.”
