Israel will not conduct a ground operation in Gaza if Hamas surrenders “unconditionally” and frees all its hostages, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus has said.
If the looming offensive goes ahead, however, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant estimates that it could take up to three months.
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday, Conricus dodged a question as to why Israel appears to be delaying its ground operation. Instead, the spokesman simply vowed that the Israeli military would “dismantle Hamas totally” and “bring our people home.”
He explained that Israel would prefer to rely on airstrikes and avoid exposing its troops to danger unnecessarily. He suggested, however, that such an approach may prove insufficient to root out the militant group.
www.rt.com/news/585583-israel-gaza-operation-hamas-surrender/