Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke at a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting Friday and unveiled the war objectives of Israel against Hamas.
Gallant explained to the committee he expected the war to go through three phases. In short, military power would be used to oust Hamas and destroy remaining pockets of resistance to create “a new security regime” in the Gaza Strip, Times of Israel reported. (RELATED: US To Send Military Aid To Israel Initially Intended For Ukraine: REPORT)
Gallant says after Hamas vanquished, Israel will seek new ‘security regime’ in Gaza https://t.co/QC3RumW1vp . Click to read ⬇️
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) October 20, 2023
“We are in the first phase, in which a military campaign is taking place with [airstrikes] and later with a [ground] maneuver with the purpose of destroying operatives and damaging infrastructure in order to defeat and destroy Hamas,” Gallant said, the outlet reported.
He anticipated a second, less intense round of fighting would commence and kickstart phase two, where Israel would eradicate lingering “pockets of resistance” in Gaza, the outlet noted.
He then spoke of phase three and the post-war vision Israel had.
“The third step will be the creation of a new security regime in the Gaza Strip, the removal of Israel’s responsibility for day-to-day life in the Gaza Strip, and the creation of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel and the residents of the [area surrounding Gaza],” he said, according to The Times of Israel.
Israel declared a formal state of war against Hamas in Gaza after Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel.