JERUSALEM, Nov 27 (NNN-XINHUA) – Israeli army chief, Herzi Halevi, announced yesterday that, once the hostages covered by the current deal are safely returned to Israel, the country will resume the fighting in Gaza.
Halevi conveyed this message in a letter addressed to all Israel Defence Forces (IDF) commanders and soldiers, as the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas entered its third day.
“When the framework (of the current truce deal) is completed, we will return to our operations with determination,” Halevi wrote. He said, the fighting would continue until all approximately 240 hostages kidnapped by Hamas were freed and Hamas itself was “dismantled.”
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, confirmed in a statement that it received a list from Hamas, detailing the hostages expected to be released in the third round of the swap. In return, Israel is expected to release additional Palestinian prisoners.
The weeks of Israeli bombardment in Gaza have led to the deaths of over 14,000 Palestinian people, 40 percent of them children, while thousands remained missing, believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.– NNN-XINHUA
