Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the country’s campaign in Hamas-run Gaza “will take time,” as pressure mounts on the country to halt its offensive amid large civilian death tolls and extensive damage in the territory, The Associated Press reported.
In a briefing with the AP, Gallant reportedly would not commit to an exact deadline to cease fighting but indicated Israel’s current campaign — including ground and airborne fighting — could last for months.
“We are going to defend ourselves. I am fighting for Israel’s future,” Gallant told the AP, adding the next phase will include lower-intensity fighting targeted at “pockets of resistance,” and that Israeli troops must have their freedom to operate to do so.
Gallant’s comments to AP come as calls grow for an immediate cease-fire from several surrounding Arab nations along with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who said last week he expects public order to “completely break down” in Gaza.
The war between Israel and Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, has raged on for more than two months since the militant group’s Oct. 7 assault into southern Israel, which left hundreds of people dead.
Israel has hammered Gaza by air and land in response, leaving widespread destruction and more than 18,000 people dead, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. More than 80 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people have been forced out of their homes amid the destruction, taking shelter in U.N. schools-turned shelters or hospitals, where supplies runs low to treat those wounded.
Gutteres warned last week the conditions in Gaza will lead to the spread of epidemic diseases and that the limited supplies Israel has allowed to enter the territory is insufficient to curb the humanitarian crisis.
U.S. officials have upped calls on Israel to protect civilian lives in Gaza, while reiterating the U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believes Israel intends to minimize civilian death but that that does not always “manifest” itself. Blinken also added Israel has every right to go after Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 attack.
The U.S. last week used its veto power within the United Nations Security Council to block a proposed resolution that urged for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. The resolution would’ve required Israel to stop its war against Hamas.
Robert Wood, alternate representative for Special Political Affairs, said the U.S. opposed the resolution due to the text being “divorced from reality.”