Benjamin Netanyahu says Gaza offensive was “an extraordinary achievement” against Hamas

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pointed out this Friday that the offensive on Gaza Strip was an “extraordinary achievement” in order to Israel, since it has fulfilled the objective of weakening the military structure of the Islamist movement Hamas.

“Hamas cannot hide anymore. The offense has been an extraordinary achievement.” Said the prime minister in an appearance before the media on the first day of the truce with the Islamist militias in Gaza after eleven days of war escalation.

The prime minister stressed that the main achievement of this offensive, which began on May 10, has been the destruction of the Hamas tunnel network, known as the Metro, through which the militiamen travel and transport weapons from one side of the coastal enclave to the other.

“Not only have we destroyed more than 100 km of the tunnel network, but we have found that it is penetrable, vulnerable and full of holes. In fact, we have found it to be a mousetrap for terrorists“, he pointed.

Netanyahu stressed that during this escalation of war, the worst that has been experienced in the region since 2014, Israel “eliminated more than two hundred terrorists, including twenty-five commanders”.

“We have eliminated an important part of the chain of command of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.” Stressed the prime minister about the two Palestinian Islamist movements that have launched more than 4,300 rockets towards Israeli soil in these eleven days, although around ninety percent were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

The prime minister assured that all the houses and buildings attacked by the Israeli aviation on the Strip Gaza “they were not innocent buildings“, But hid “Hamas offices, weapons warehouses, rocket factories and arsenals”.

“We did all of this with minimal harm to uninvolved civilians. We went to great lengths to prevent harm to these civilians by giving them advance warning of the bombings. No other army from any other country in the world does that,” he asserted.

“The Armed Forces of Israel are the most moral in the world”, the prime minister ruled about his actions in the latest military escalation with the Palestinian militias, which today is experiencing its first day of bilateral truce, which came into force this morning, and was achieved with the mediation of Egypt and the UN.

Eleven days of violence have claimed their lives at least 243 Palestinians on Gaza, including 66 children, 39 women and 17 elderly, and has left more than 1,900 injured; while twelve people have died on Israeli soil, two minors included.