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War Cabinet Minister Gantz: Israel's War Against Hamas Is Existential and Carries No Time Limit
(Times of Israel) Carrie Keller-Lynn - Former defense minister and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Benny Gantz said Wednesday: "The war here is for our existence and for Zionism, and so I can't provide an estimate of the length of each stage in the war and the fighting that will continue after. We can't retreat from our strategic objective." Over 240,000 Israelis are internally displaced as a result of Hamas' attack, with northern border communities joining Gaza border towns as closed military zones. Gantz said that residents, especially from communities ravaged by Hamas invaders, will not return to revive their destroyed towns until the threat posed by Hamas is neutralized. "Israel cannot accept such an active threat on its borders," Gantz said. "The whole idea of people living side-by-side in the Middle East was jeopardized by Hamas." "Once the Gaza area is safe, and the northern area will be safe, and the Judea and Samaria region will calm down, we will sit down and review an alternative mechanism for Gaza. I do not know what it will be. But I do know what cannot be there - an active presence of Hamas with governance and military capabilities."