Once the intense fighting is over, Netanyahu said, Israel will be able to redeploy more forces to the north border with Lebanon, but primarily for "defensive purposes."
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday reported attacks on Hamas’ infrastructure in southern Gaza’s Rafah. In central Gaza, the Israeli army continued military operations, killing numerous militants and seizing weapons. Israel also launched airstrikes on Gaza City in the north on Sunday morning.
Also read: Israeli army admits Hamas is an idea that can’t be defeated
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said its soldiers hit Israeli army targets in Gaza City, Rafah and central Gaza with mortars and rockets, killing several Israeli soldiers.
Gaza media reported fierce gunfighting between Jihad and Israeli soldiers at multiple locations in Rafah on Sunday.
In a statement issued on early Monday morning, Hamas said Netanyahu’s expression clearly exposes his objection to a ceasefire resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council and also a peace deal proposed by the United States.
Hamas called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel, stop its war against the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, it urged the U.S. government to stop supporting genocide wars in Gaza and against the Palestinian people.
Israeli forces strap wounded Palestinian to jeep during raid
Israeli army forces strapped a Palestinian wounded man on the hood of a military jeep during an arrest raid in West Bank’s Jenin, the army confirmed after video of the incident circulated on social media.
Video showed a wounded local man, Mujahed Azmi, lying on the hood of a jeep as it drives past two ambulances in Jenin.
Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video from corroborating and verified footage shared on social media that shows same vehicle transporting an individual on top of a vehicle in Jenin. The date of the footage and identity of the man were confirmed by eyewitnesses interviewed by Reuters.
According to the family of Azmi, the man was hit by gunfire from Israeli troops. When the family requested an ambulance for Azmi, Israeli soldiers took him, strapped him on the hood of their jeep and drove off, the family said.
The Israeli military in a statement said Israeli forces were fired at and exchanged fire, wounding a suspect and apprehending him.
Soldiers then violated military protocol, the statement said. "The suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle," it said.
The military said the "conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values" of the Israeli military and that the incident would be investigated and dealt with.
The individual was transferred to medics for treatment, the military said.
