Netanyahu justifies ground offensive: destruction of "terror tunnels"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli ground military operation in the Gaza Strip was decided "after all options were exhausted and with the awareness that the price to pay may be high"; "It is not possible to solve the problem of the tunnels solely from the air. Our soldiers will do it on the ground," he said.
Danilo Macedo* – Reporter for Agência Brasil
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today (18) that the Israeli ground military operation in the Gaza Strip is necessary to target the "terror tunnels" used by Hamas, the fundamentalist Islamic movement that has been launching rockets and mortars against Israel. According to him, the ground incursion was decided "after all options had been exhausted and with the awareness that the price to pay may be high."
"It is not possible to solve [the problem] of the tunnels solely from the air. Our soldiers will do it on the ground," Netanyahu said before a government meeting. The ground phase of the military operation, called Protective Edge, began last night (17) with the aim of destroying the network of tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Israel and neutralizing the ability of Hamas and other armed groups to fire rockets into Israeli territory.
Netanyahu said that in recent hours he had spoken with several international leaders to explain the situation in Israel and to try to convince the international community that his country is fighting "a murderous terrorist organization with moderation," seeking to restore calm to its citizens.
The prime minister said his country is only fighting terrorists and accused militias in Gaza of using the civilian population as "human shields." He acknowledged that international criticism "is inevitable" because of civilian deaths in the offensive, but held Hamas solely responsible for the innocent victims of the conflict.
Yesterday, the Brazilian government rejected the Israeli ground incursion into Gaza, classifying it as a serious setback in peace efforts, but also condemning the actions of Hamas. "The Brazilian government strongly condemns the Israeli bombings of Gaza, with disproportionate use of force, which resulted in the deaths of more than 230 Palestinians, many of them unarmed civilians and children. It also condemns the launching of rockets and mortars from Gaza against Israel," the Brazilian Foreign Ministry stated in a note.
Since the start of the ground operation, more than 20 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have died in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to official sources from each side. Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge on July 8, the death toll has surpassed 260, including two Israelis, with more than 2 wounded. This is the third Israeli offensive in the region since 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza.
*With information from the Lusa news agency.