IDF chief says ground offensive in Gaza essential to achieve war aims

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in a video statement says that to defeat Hamas and return the hostages the terror group is holding, Israel must carry out a major ground offensive in the Gaza Strip

“Three weeks have passed since the start of the war. This war has stages, and today we moved into a new phase,” Halevi says, referring to ongoing, expanded ground operations in Gaza.

“Our forces are currently carrying out ground operations in the Gaza Strip… which serve to achieve all the war’s objectives: dismantling Hamas, security at the borders, and uppermost efforts to return all the hostages back home,” he says.

“The objectives of the war require ground entry. There are no achievements without risks, and there is no victory without prices being paid,” he continues.

“In order to expose the enemy and destroy it, there is no other way but to enter its territory with great force,” Halevi says, adding that the ground operations “serve all the objectives of the war.”

He also says returning the hostages “is a national effort of utmost importance.”

“Hamas is now holding innocents — babies, children, women, men, and elderly citizens,” he says. “We will do everything in order to succeed in this effort.”

“We have set clear goals, the road will be long… we will fight with determination, and win,” Halevi adds.