Israeli Army Chief of Staff: Gaza is complex and crowded and we will achieve victory

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy said, Gaza is complex and crowded, as the ‘enemy’ is preparing many things for us, and so are we.

Halevy added during his meeting with the officers of the Golani Division, as part of the preparation for the ground attack on the Gaza Strip, “Be brave and resolute and give the soldiers a lot of confidence,” considering that “this spirit will achieve victory and professionalism is what will determine the outcome”.

He continued, “We’ll enter the Gaza Strip and engage in an operational mission to eliminate Hamas members”.

Halevy’s statements come at a time when Israeli aircraft continue their aggression against the Gaza Strip, bombing thousands of homes on the heads of their residents, and committing hundreds of massacres, for the fifteenth day in a row.

Meanwhile, pressure increased on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following the release of two hostages with American citizenship through Qatari mediation, in order to postpone any possible ground operation due to the possibility of the success of efforts to release the hostages through negotiations.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the families of hostages held by Hamas are pressuring the Israeli government to reach an agreement with Hamas that ends with the release of their relatives.

The Wall Street Journal added that US officials said that Qatar warned Hamas that it would cut off any aid to the Strip if any of the movement’s civilian hostages were harmed.

Hamas released two American hostages on Friday, with Qatari mediation.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden announced the release of two American hostages held by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7, which prompted a number of countries to welcome their release.

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stressed that the US administration is working every minute to release the hostages held by Hamas, calling for the release of all remaining hostages, pointing out the presence of more than 200 hostages in the Gaza Strip, holding Hamas responsible for the safety of the Americans it detains.

The Wall Street Journal quoted analysts as saying that the release of the two hostages will increase the pressure on Israel and Hamas to engage in larger negotiations regarding the hostages.

Regarding this matter, Daniel Levy, former advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, said that the negotiation channels led by Qatar have proven to be effective and Netanyahu will be under pressure to continue them.

Several countries are trying to exploit their influence and contacts with Hamas in order to pressure them to release the hostages, and according to what the Wall Street Journal reported from a US official, the Qatari government has been very cooperative in this issue.

But the official also pointed out that there are difficulties in reaching an agreement on this issue in light of the continued Israeli bombing of Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

Israel categorically refuses to open its border crossings with Gaza, but it agreed to the entry of aid from Rafah at an American request.

Israel, which has imposed a siege on Gaza for more than 16 years, stipulated that it ensure that aid doesn’t go to Hamas.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday that the first aid trucks would cross the Rafah crossing from Egypt to Gaza within the next two days.

Several officials indicated that during the first week of the conflict, Hamas didn’t accept to enter into any talks regarding the release of the hostages, and in recent days proposals were exchanged, including a temporary ceasefire, the return of water, and the entry of humanitarian aid.

According to US officials, an agreement that included the United States, Israel, and Qatar, which was supposed to lead to the release of 50 Hamas hostages, failed within those talks.