Israel-Gaza war: Military chief rules out an early end to the war against Hamas

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Israel's military chief Herzl Halevi (center): "Our military results are excellent"

Photo: AFP

Israel's Chief of General Staff Herzl Halevi has ruled out an early end to the war against Hamas. "Our military results are excellent," he said at a press conference on Tuesday evening. "But there is still a long way to go before we can achieve the war goals."

In order to get closer to this, he said, the Hamas leadership around its Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar would have to be eliminated and even more Hamas commanders and fighters would have to be killed. Palestinian civilians who have fled and who are currently massed in large numbers in Rafah at the southern end of the Gaza Strip should be able to return to safety. The more than 130 Israeli hostages still held by the terrorist organization must regain their freedom, demanded Halevi.

A video allegedly shows the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip

The Israeli military released a video on Tuesday evening that appears to show the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and some of his relatives. If the photo is authentic, these would be the first images of Yahya Sinwar since the beginning of the war.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday evening that the video was recorded on October 10th. It came from a surveillance camera in a tunnel in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

In the short shot, a man can be seen from behind walking through the section of tunnel captured by the camera, whose silhouette resembles that of Sinwar. According to the military, the other people seen are Sinwar's wife and children. The only person seen from the front is said to be Sinwar's brother Ibrahim. The authenticity of the video could not initially be independently confirmed.

Hamas stronghold

The Israel-Gaza war began on October 7th when terrorist squads from the Islamist Hamas and allied extremist groups commanded by Sinwar attacked southern Israel. They killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 as hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip was considered a Hamas stronghold. The Israeli armed forces have been deployed there for several weeks and, according to their own statements, have largely destroyed the Hamas militia groups active there. It is unknown where the Hamas warlord and his leadership are today. "The hunt for Sinwar will not end until we catch him, dead or alive," Hagari said.

hen/dpa