The war between Hamas and Israel could last another 7 months. This is the warning of the head of Israel's National Security Council. Seven months is enough to achieve the objectives of destroying Hamas, the senior official said.
In a radio interview, the head of Israel's Security Council said that prolonging the war had been considered by the cabinet since its beginning.
"We are now in the fifth month of 2024, which means we expect seven more months of fighting to deepen our gains, to destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. You have to be patient and know how to stay strong. This resilience is what has allowed this nation to survive for 75 years, even 3,000 years," said Tzachi Hanegbi, Head of Israel's National Security Council.
Israeli tanks moved into the heart of Rafah, despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end attacks on the city, where many Palestinians have taken refuge from the shelling.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the Israeli attack in Rafah "horrific" and condemned it, underlining that "the deaths show the need to have a plan for Gaza".
Without such a plan, he added, there will be no "new day" in Gaza and "Israel will find itself facing chaos."
The Israeli military controls three-quarters of the buffer zone on the Egyptian border and aims to control all of it to prevent arms smuggling by Hamas, Israeli officials told local media.
Sakaq, the US, Israel's closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major ground offensive in Rafah, while saying it did not believe such an operation had crossed a red line.