IDF will not cease war with Hamas until all hostages are returned
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
After the ceasefire with Hamas, Israeli forces will immediately return to striking the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Halevi says the ceasefire and hostage deal would not have happened without the IDF’s pressure on Hamas.
“We do not intend, do not want, and are not ready to stop this effort before we return all the hostages… it is our moral duty to bring them back,” he says.
According to Halevi, the IDF will use the pause in hostilities to learn, better prepare capabilities, and take some rest.
“And we will return immediately at the end of the ceasefire to attacking Gaza, to maneuver in Gaza. We will do it to dismantle Hamas and also to create great pressure to return as quickly as possible and as many hostages as possible, down to the last one of them,” he says.
Hostage release
On November 24, Hamas militants released the first group of hostages, sending them to the checkpoint on the border of the Gaza Strip and Egypt. This became possible after Israel announced a temporary ceasefire.
For more details on the agreements between Israel and Hamas and how long the war may continue, read the material on RBC-Ukraine.
