Eylon Levy, the Israeli government spokesperson, has said that military action inside the Gaza strip will happen at the “time of our choosing” and focus of his country is to “totally destroy the military and governing capabilities” of Hamas.
The terror attack by Hamas on October 7 shocked the West Asian country and the world, during which 1400 Israelis were killed and over 200 taken as hostages.
Speaking to WION’s diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Levy said, “We are going to destroy Hamas, we are going to enter the Gaza Strip and totally demolish the entirety of its military terrorist and governing structure inside the Gaza Strip.”
Since the attacks, Israel increased its air strikes in Gaza to deal with Hamas hideouts, but this has led to a humanitarian crisis as well.
The spokesperson explained, ” Israel isn’t targeting civilians, we are targeting Hamas. That’s why we are asking civilians inside the Gaza Strip to step out of the way, out of the areas that are going to see very heavy fighting because we don’t want them to get hurt as we proceed with our campaign to destroy Hamas’s terror infrastructure”.
Here’s the full interview:
WION: Will there be a ground offensive in Gaza, particularly northern Gaza in the next few days?
Eylon Levy: Israel remains united around one goal, victory, total victory against Hamas. Our goal is to totally destroy the military and governing capabilities of the brutal terror organization that perpetrated the October 7 massacre. This is the worst terrorist attack in world history since 9/11. Around 1400 Israelis were murdered, Hamas death squads went door-to-door and beheaded babies, burning whole families alive, committing brutal acts of rape, tying parents and children together and setting them on fire, mutilating them, torturing them before their deaths. About 5,000 people have been injured.
There are now more than 220 Israeli hostages , some babies as young as a few months old in captivity, hostages inside the Gaza Strip and we’ve decided in response to that, that we are going to totally defeat Hamas. Now Israel is going to use its force carefully and judiciously, we will act and proceed with the ground offensive at a time of our choosing , when it is right for our operational needs. But the world needs to understand that the situation now is different. The road ahead is going to be long. It is going to be difficult, but Hamas declared war on us on the seventh of October with that brutal attack against our people and we have no choice now but to win that war. And that war will end with the total defeat of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
WION: The Israeli president claimed that Hamas used cyanide. Can you elaborate?
Eylon Levy: President Isaac Herzog said that Hamas fighters had in fact been carrying on their bodies instruction manuals from al-Qaeda, the terror organisation behind 911, showing that they had information in order to build cyanide, use chemical weapons against our people. This shows the connection between Hamas, al Qaeda and ISIS, and shows exactly why it’s in the same league as the terror organisations all around the world who commit horrific crimes against humanity that they have perpetrated.
This is why we are going after Hamas with an intent to destroy it, not to deter it, not to degrade it, to destroy it, because Hamas has revealed itself as the face of sheer, pure , unadulterated evil that would do by the way, exactly the same as it did on October the seventh if given half a chance and murder as many people inside Israel as it could by burning them, by beheading them, using chemical weapons if it could, and that is why we are going to continue with our campaign to destroy Hamas.
And, we appreciate all the international support and solidarity that we’ve been receiving, including from the people of India, all around the world, people understanding that Israel not only has a right, it has a duty to defend itself against these barbarians, these terrorists in the wake of these atrocious, atrocious crimes against humanity.
WION: While Israel has been acting against Hamas, there has been a humanitarian challenge in Gaza. You have asked the people to move towards the south. So, what do you have to say about the humanitarian and the collateral loss which is happening in Gaza?
Eylon Levy: First and foremost, I would say that the humanitarian question is on the minds of Israelis around the country, and so is the fate and condition of the more than 220 Israeli hostages, inside the Gaza Strip. We’re talking about babies some a few months old. Elderly people over the age of 80 without medication being kept in a brutal tunnel somewhere by a terrorist organization that tortured, murdered their families in Israel, not given access to the Red Cross.
Now it’s the humanitarian question that is concerning everyone in Israel. But as for the civilians in Gaza, it’s important to say Israel isn’t targeting civilians, we are targeting Hamas. That’s why we are asking civilians inside the Gaza Strip to step out of the way, out of the areas that are going to see very heavy fighting because we don’t want them to get hurt as we proceed with our campaign to destroy Hamas’s terror infrastructure.
Now, we’ve all been watching the same images on TV, the images coming out of the Gaza Strip are very difficult to watch. And I think the world is right to be outraged. But that outrage needs to be directed at the brutal terrorist organization that has subjugated the people of Gaza for the last 16 years subordinating them to its terrorist regime. It should be directed at the terror organization that has consistently stolen humanitarian aid , the terror organization that has embedded itself among civilian areas, under people’s homes, under schools, under hospitals and the terror organization that is physically preventing people from escaping and as much as Israel is trying to do everything we’re trying to do to keep civilians safe inside the Gaza Strip. By the way, Israel has also evacuated over 100,000 of our own people away from areas of combat because we don’t want them to be hurt, but it’s important to understand everything that happens inside the Gaza Strip. Any human suffering that happens there is solely and squarely the responsibility and fault of Hamas, the evil terrorist organization that perpetrated the October 7 massacre.
WION: Do you think that the situation is getting worse in the northern border? Do you expect Hezbollah to open another front which can be a worrisome factor for Israel?
Eylon Levy: Israel is not interested in a war on two fronts, despite Hezbollah’s efforts to escalate the situation in the north and step up its attacks against our people, our forces under the direction and guidance of Iran. Israel does not want to fight on two fronts. We are focusing at the moment on destroying Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to the October 7 massacre. But it’s important to understand that Israel is ready to fight that war. We are ready to defend our people and we will win that war. We hold the state of Lebanon responsible and accountable for any attacks emanating from its territory and as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the consequences for Lebanon will indeed be severe. If Hezbollah drags us into a full-scale war, we don’t want that to happen, but if they do, we’re ready to fight. We’re ready to defend our people and we’re ready to win.
WION: As you mentioned the hostage situation is a concerning situation as many of them are foreign nationals as well. What do you expect, any positive glimmer of hope? We saw two American hostages being released. So, when it comes to the fate of other hostages, what kind of conversations are happening?
Eylon Levy: First of all, we of course welcomed the release of the two hostages. There are now more than another 220 and we expect more international pressure to secure their release as well. Our demand is clear and unequivocal. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of every single one of those hostages, we demand that In the meanwhile, they be given access to the International Red Cross. That’s a basic humanitarian condition. We want them back and Israel is going to do everything necessary in order to bring back our hostages from those babies to the elderly people and make sure that they are brought back to the loving embrace of their families because there is no excuse, there is absolutely zero excuse for ripping a baby, shooting its parents and taking it into captivity inside the Gaza Strip. No excuse in the whole world must be absolutely clear that what Hamas did was a war crime, that it’s unforgivable. And we need our people back.
WION: You talked about the ground offensive. Does that option remain on the table because there’s a lot of anger in Israel over the terror attack by Hamas. So, is this an option that will be eventually exercised by the Israeli government?
Eylon Levy: The next stage in the campaign to destroy Hamas. I’m not going to speculate live on TV exactly when that will happen. But it will happen in accordance with our operational needs. Because the October 7 massacre showed us that we as a country simply can no longer live beside an ISIS style terror organisation. We can no longer leave it with the abilities to perpetrate such a massacre. Again, we will not accept a quick fix.
That takes us back to the situation at 6am on the morning of October 7. We are going to destroy Hamas, we are going to enter the Gaza Strip and totally demolish the entirety of its military terrorist and governing structure inside the Gaza Strip. We’re going for complete victory and we’re going to use our force carefully and judiciously as we pursue that goal.
