After Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, there was still no indication that Hamas was preparing to soften its stance on the issue of the hostage and ceasefire deal.
“There is no signal, no sign that Hamas is currently changing its position on the matter,” an official told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a three-hour meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior security officials on Wednesday.
An official told the Post after, “It was decided to raise the level of response – and actions are expected to escalate. What we saw, with the entry of ground forces into the Netzarim Corridor, is just the beginning.”
Ministers clarified to the Post that Israel is focused on the goal of ending Hamas’s rule in Gaza.
“Israel has decided to change its approach toward Hamas, and what Hamas is experiencing from Israel is about to change with American backing. There is a clear shift in the current equation,” said Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar (Likud).
“Israel is seeking a resolution: either the return of all hostages, the expulsion of Hamas, and the disarmament of the organization, or, in my opinion, full occupation and Israeli control over the Gaza Strip,” he said.
The consensus for continuing the fighting exists among all ministers.
'There is no other way the war will end'
National Missions Minister Orit Strock (Religious Zionist Party) told the Post that in this act, Israel is making it clear that the ultimate goal has always been – and remains – Hamas’s destruction.
“This is the only way the war will end. There is no other option,” she said.
Strock added that this is a rolling event, and that the range of responses will escalate with time.
“The targets in the strikes included Hamas’s civilian leadership. This was outlined on October 7 but was never fully carried out. Now we are working toward implementing that goal,” she said.
She also noted that what ministers are hearing lately is that all eyes in the regional arena are on Israel and Gaza, to see what Israel will do there.
The security cabinet is set to convene on Thursday to receive an update on the progress in fighting. Zohar said, “In the near future, we will see high-intensity fire. The IDF has prepared a plan for the Gaza Strip. We are focused on the goal.”