"In any process of ending the war, we will not accept Hamas rule," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said at the Southern Command Sunday. He said that the government is currently "advancing a governmental alternative to Hamas" in Gaza.
He said that Israel will remove Hamas operatives from isolated areas and "introduce other forces that will enable a different governance."
In addition, he spoke about operations in Rafah, after he attended a situation assessment at the Southern Command. "The operation in Rafah is progressing above and below ground. The forces are fighting with great determination and destroying the lifeline connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt," he declared.
Meeting the two goals of the war
"We are increasingly strangling Hamas, preventing it from continuing to exist – it will not have the ability to reinforce, strengthen, or arm itself," Gallant added.
The IDF confirmed that at the end of three weeks of operations by the 162nd Division, about 20 tunnels were discovered adjacent to the Philadelphi corridor. IDF officials have estimated that most of the tunnels cross into Egyptian territory and were used to smuggle ammunition and materials for the production of weapons.
About 82 shafts were located near them, and it is estimated that they were connected to smuggling tunnels that could be controlled from afar.
"These two actions – on the one hand, a military operation, and on the other, the ability to change governance – will achieve two of the goals of this war: The collapse of Hamas' rule and military power, and the return of the hostages," Gallant resolutely concluded.