No option but victory over Hamas... Can't ask Israelis to go back to pre-October 7 situation, and we won’t: IDF

Israel has intensified its attacks in southern Gaza to fight Hamas terrorists in the region. Israeli tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers were seen on Monday near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

Amid this, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said that the country’s expanding ground operations is a “complex situation” but they have “no choice” but to fight Hamas if they want to defeat them.

So far, Israel has been focussing on northern Gaza, urging Palestinians living in the region to move south for their safety. However, last week the military dropped leaflets in northern Gaza asking residents to flee the region.

According to reports, an Israeli commander has claimed that the army has almost completed its mission in the north.

Speaking to Sky News Australia, IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said, “We are indeed operating all over the Gaza Strip, wherever Hamas is, and we have indeed … in the weeks past asked Palestinian civilians to evacuate from the combat area in the north to other areas in the south.”

“What we are doing now is to, in a very detailed manner based on a high-resolution map of neighbourhoods in Palestinian cities, asking select areas of Palestinians to evacuate to other areas in order for them to be out of where the main fighting is being conducted," he added.

IDF last week published a map of Gaza dividing the Strip into different zones to help Palestinians avoid active combat zones.

Conricus further said, “We understand that there are difficulties on the ground and we understand that there is great danger and discomfort for Palestinians. At the end of the day, we have no choice but to fight where the enemy is if we are to defeat the enemy and that is what we are going to do.”

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The army said Monday it was taking “aggressive” action against “Hamas and other terrorist organisations” in Khan Yunis, warning that the main road in the north and east of the city “constitutes a battlefield”.

With inputs from agencies