Gallant says Israeli military yet to 'pull out roots' in West Bank ops

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
4 Sep 2024 18:38

Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant stresses that Palestinian Resistance groups in the occupied West Bank "should be wiped out."

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Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant makes a joint statement with his US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, after their meeting in Tel Aviv, on Dec. 18, 2023. (AP)

The Israeli military is "mowing the lawn" during an ongoing major offensive in the occupied West Bank but will need eventually to "pull out the roots," indicated Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant.

"We are mowing the lawn, [but] the moment will also come when we will pull out the roots, that must be done," he stated after conducting an assessment in the West Bank with senior Israeli military officers.

Gallant mentioned that car bombings and shooting operations carried out by Palestinian Resistance fighters "are things that need to be put to an end."

The Israeli Minister also stressed that Palestinian Resistance groups in the occupied West Bank "should be wiped out."

"Every such terrorist should be eliminated, [or] if they surrender, arrest them," he added.

His statements echoed those of Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about "destroying Hamas" in the Gaza Strip, which he uses as a pretext to prolong "Israel's" war on the Palestinian people there.

Gallant's remarks also come in line with those of his fellow Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who proclaimed that the threat in the West Bank should be addressed similarly to Gaza and that "Israel" is seeking the "temporary evacuation of the residents in the Jenin and Tulkarm camps."

Last week, the Israeli military command said it had initiated a "wide-scale operation" in the governates of Tulkarm and Jenin, targeting Palestinian Resistance fighters. In detail, the aggression was aimed at the Jenin, al-Far'a, and Nur Shams refugee camps, in Jenin, Tubas, and Tulkarm respectively.

In response, Palestinian Resistance factions declared Operation Terror of the Camps as they confronted the Israeli assault, continuing their operations and confrontations across northern West Bank areas.

So far, the Israeli occupation forces have killed 33 Palestinians and injured around 140 others in its latest aggression on the West Bank, bringing the total number of martyrs to 685 and those injured to approximately 5,700 since October 7, 2023.