Netanyahu's stern warning: Israel will finish war that Hamas started
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a powerful message to the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday, saying though Israel didn't start the war, it would be the one to end it. Equating Hamas with ISIS, he stressed that the Islamist outfit would soon realize the huge mistake it made by attacking Israel and would face consequences that would be remembered for decades. Since the conflict began on Saturday, over 1,600 casualties have been reported.
Why does this story matter?
The fighting was sparked by an unprecedented attack from Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, as they launched thousands of rockets toward Israel and sent fighters across the border. Despite its much-touted intelligence and military invincibility, Hamas caught Israel's defenses off-guard. In retaliation, Israel has called up 300,000 troops, its largest force since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. With Netanyahu declaring an all-out war and other countries jumping in, the crisis is likely to be protracted.
Hamas didn't spare even Holocaust survivors: Netanyahu
In an address to his nation, Netanyahu said, "We didn't want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way." "The savage attacks that Hamas perpetrated against innocent Israelis are mindboggling. Slaughtering families in their homes, massacring hundreds of young people at an outdoor festival, and kidnapping scores of women, children, and elderly, even Holocaust survivors," he said, calling them savages.
Hamas is ISIS, Israel's victory is civilized world's victory: Netanyahu
Netanyahu said, "Hamas is ISIS. And just as the forces of civilization united to defeat ISIS, the forces of civilization must support Israel in defeating Hamas." Concluding his address, he reportedly said, "In fighting Hamas, Israel is not only fighting for its own people. It is fighting for every country that stands against barbarism. Israel will win this war, and when Israel wins, the entire civilized world will win."
Israel allegedly backed ISIS against Syrian government
Notably, Israel, along with the United States (US), has previously been accused by Iran and Syria of providing ISIS with arms and even medical support to eliminate the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria. Reports said after defeating ISIS, the Syrian Army allegedly found weapons, food, and medicines supplied by Israel in ISIS shelters. Former Mossad (Israeli intelligence agency) Director Efraim Halevy, in an Al Jazeera interview, defended Israel treating wounded fighters of the al-Nusra Front, the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda.
ISIS apologized for attacking Israeli soldiers
Separately, despite terrorizing the entire Levant region, ISIS reportedly never attacked Israel or Israeli forces, except for one instance. In 2017, then Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon reportedly said ISIS "apologized" for targeting their soldiers in Golan Heights. Notably, Israel captured Golan Heights from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967. In 2016, Israel's then-military intelligence chief Major General Herzi Halevy said that Israel doesn't want ISIS defeated in Syria.
