Israel’s Netanyahu calls on his defense minister to eliminate Hamas ‘without excuses’

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday to eliminate Hamas “without excuses.”

The call comes in response to Gallant’s demand for Netanyahu to relinquish Israeli military and civilian rule in the Gaza Strip.

“I am not prepared to switch from Hamastan to Fatahstan,” he said, in reference to the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu vowed that as long as Hamas remains intact, no other party, including the Palestinian Authority, will step in to manage civilian affairs in Gaza.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also criticized Gallant’s stance.

“This is the essence of the conception of a defense minister who failed on October 7, and continues to fail even now. Such a defense minister must be replaced in order to achieve the goals of the war,” he added.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 people.

More than 35,230 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 79,140 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

In the West Bank, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured since Oct. 7, along with daily arrest campaigns by the Israeli army.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio