Israeli Minister promises to completely destroy Gaza
Illustrative photo: Israel launches a new operation in the Gaza Strip (Getty Images)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened that Gaza will be "entirely destroyed" as a result of Israel’s victory over Hamas, The Guardian reports.
Smotrich made the statement during a conference focused on Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will be sent to the south to a humanitarian zone without Hamas or terrorism, and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries," Smotrich said.
The comments come amid international criticism of Israel’s plans to take full control of the Gaza Strip.
"We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s operations. Any attempt to annex land in Gaza would be unacceptable," said the UK’s Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer.
Meanwhile, Hamas has rejected any resumption of negotiations with Israel.
"There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip," said Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official.
Israel's new offensive
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would conduct a new intensive operation in the Gaza Strip.
According to him, this was the recommendation of the Israeli General Staff. Israel has decided to inflict a complete defeat on Hamas.
