Speaking at a news conference alongside his U.S counterpart on Monday, December 19, 2023, Yoav Gallant stated that Israel’s war is not aimed at civilians in the Gaza strip.
The news conference followed a meeting between the Israeli Defence Minister and U.S Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin a in Tel Aviv.
Austin called the meeting “productive,” saying that they discussed “Israel’s ongoing campaign to defeat Hamas, to include objectives, phasing and protecting civilians” as well as “Iran-backed threats across the region, and our shared commitment to confront this aggression.”
Gallant asserted that Israel and the U.S’ common enemies around the world are watching, and “they know Israel’s victory is the victory of the free world, led by the United States of America.”
“Our war against Hamas is not a war against the people of Gaza,” he averred.
“We are fighting a brutal enemy that hides behind civilians. We operate according to international law,” he told reporters.
“The IDF [military] is operating to minimize the harm to the civilian population. We are also operating with international partners to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Yoav Gallant
Gallant made mention of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, saying, “anytime we discuss humanitarian issues, we must remember the 129 hostages being held in Gaza.”
“This is the most humanitarian issue,” Gallant noted.
Additionally, Gallant said at the news conference with Austin, that Hamas will not control Gaza.
“We will have the freedom to eliminate any kind of threat in the future. There will be no serious military threats from Gaza,” he said.
But he also said that Israel “will not control Gaza in any civilian way.”
He said, “We will conduct any operation in order to secure our future and we are building the routes for non-hostile partners in the other side.”
Gallant added that Israel has been destroying Hamas’s infrastructure and taking out its leadership. “
We will continue until we fully achieve our goals,” he said.
On his part, Lloyd Austin said that the U.S’s support for Israel is steadfast and unwavering.
“We will continue to work together for a safer, more secure future for Israel and a brighter future for Palestinians,” he said.
“Protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic imperative. We will also continue to urge the protection of civilians during conflict and to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
Lloyd Austin
Austin also said that attacks by “extremist settlers” in the West Bank must stop, and those committing the violence must be held accountable.
Austin noted that the war on Gaza is Israel’s fight and his visit isn’t aimed at setting a timeline for it to end.
Lloyd Addresses Houthi Attacks
Moreover, Austin pointed to the recent Houthi attacks.
He said that the Houthi attacks are reckless and dangerous.
He disclosed that he plans to convene a meeting of ministers from the Middle East and beyond on Tuesday to address attacks by the Yemeni group.
“We’ll have more details on this soon, but we’re going to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to ensure freedom of navigation in the area. The straits are pretty important, as you know – a large amount of commerce flows through there … on a daily basis.”
Lloyd Austin
The Houthis have attacked numerous vessels in recent weeks, saying they are targeting ships in the Red Sea with links to Israel in protest of its military offensive in Gaza.
The attacks have disrupted maritime trade and prompted warnings from Washington and its allies.
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