Israel announces two conditions for canceling the ground operation
The official spokesman for the Israeli army, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, announced that the ground operation in the Gaza Strip would be canceled if all detainees were released and Hamas surrendered unconditionally.
Conricus explained in an interview with Australian ABC Radio that if Hamas comes out of its hideouts, hands over 212 hostages and surrenders without restriction, the war will end, otherwise the Israeli army will be forced to intervene and end the matter.
Conricus didn’t reveal the reason for postponing the ground attack, and stressed that the army would work to completely dismantle Hamas and destroy its military capabilities to prevent the threat to Israeli civilians.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant confirmed that the ground operation in Gaza would be the last maneuver, after which Hamas would no longer exist, as he put it.
The war in Gaza has been continuing for more than two weeks, resulting in an increase in the number of casualties and injuries and a worsening of the humanitarian situation in the Strip due to the ongoing Israeli bombing.
