Israeli bombing of Gaza will continue until 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser said on Wednesday.
Tzachi Hanegbi told Israeli public broadcaster KAN that the war is expected to continue for another seven months.
He said the Israeli military “is now in control of 75 percent of the Philadelphia Route.”
‘I think we will have control of everything eventually. “Together with the Egyptians, we must ensure that arms smuggling from Egypt to Gaza is prevented,” Hanegbi added.
Meanwhile, Rafah residents said there had been more Israeli airstrikes and tanks had carried out attacks in central and western areas.
Palestinians view destruction after Israel bombed their shops and shelters in Rafah, Gaza, on May 27.
Palestinians surround destruction after Israel bombed their shops and shelters in Rafah on May 27.
On May 29, military mobility of tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks and military jeeps of the Israeli army continues on the northern border of Gaza.
Palestinians examine makeshift tents destroyed after Israeli army attacks in Rafah, Gaza
Rafah’s last hospital is barely functioning and a “full raid” by Israeli troops could lead to its closure and a “substantial” number of deaths, according to a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official.
Israel said it must take Rafah to achieve victory in the war, which was triggered when Hamas attacked the country on October 7, during which some 1,200 people were killed and 252 others taken hostage.
At least 36,170 people have been killed across Gaza since the start of the war, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.
There has been increasing international pressure on Israeli leaders to reveal a comprehensive strategy to stop the fighting.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was vital that Israel present a post-war plan as a matter of urgency if it wanted to ensure a lasting defeat of Hamas.
“In the absence of a plan for the day after, there will be no day after,” he told reporters during a visit to Moldova.