Gallant: No pause in war before hostages freed; Gaza is mankind’s ‘biggest terror base’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant calls the Gaza Strip “the biggest terror base mankind has ever built,” and rejects any humanitarian pause before Palestinian terror groups release the more than 240 hostages they are holding.

In a televised press statement, Gallant says IDF ground forces are deployed “in the heart” of Gaza City.” They have stormed terror strongholds in Gaza “from all directions, in perfect coordination with maritime and aerial forces,” and are “tightening the chokehold” around Gaza City.

“We will continue until victory and until the hostages are returned home,” he says.

He says Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “is hiding in his bunker and is without contact with his associates,” vowing again to eliminate him.

“Today we saw thousands of Gazans heading south [in the so-called humanitarian corridor],” he says. He urges all Gaza City residents to move down to safer areas in the south “so that you won’t be harmed… We will destroy Hamas; we have no interest in harming civilians.”

Regarding growing international demands for humanitarian pauses, Gallant says “humanitarian pauses, to me, means first and foremost the [return of the] captives held by the savages. There will be no humanitarian pauses without [the return of] the hostages.”

He is asked whether the IDF intends to attack Hamas targets at Shifa Hospital, and says he does not talk about what the IDF is doing before it happens.