Israel’s defense minister calls for keeping West Bank ‘quiet’ until end of Gaza war

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday called for keeping the West Bank quite until the end of the Gaza war.

"This whole arena is a secondary arena to the main effort we are carrying out in the Gaza Strip,” Gallant said in statements during a situation assessment at the Central Command as cited by the Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

“Similar to what is happening in the north, we have no interest in reaching an escalation and we are making every effort to prevent it," he said about the West Bank.

“It is very important that the Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] remain quiet so that we can complete our mission in the Gaza Strip, eliminate the Hamas organization, eradicate it, remove it from its military and governmental capabilities and bring about the desired result there," Gallant added.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank amid an Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 275 Palestinians have been killed and 3,730 others detained in the occupied territory since then, according to Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar