JERUSALEM, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that all areas of the Gaza Strip will be under Israeli security control and Hamas will be defeated by the end of the ongoing "Operation Gideon's Chariots."
Netanyahu described the operation, which he said began on Saturday, as the "final phase" of Israel's military campaign. That campaign was launched following a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people in Israel.
"Our forces are landing powerful blows that will get stronger against Hamas strongholds that still exist in Gaza," Netanyahu stated, adding the operation was meant to "complete the war, the work" in the Strip.
Netanyahu also said that Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas' military leader and the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was "apparently" killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza. There has been no official confirmation of Mohammed Sinwar's death from either Israeli or Hamas sources.
The prime minister confirmed that a May 13 strike on the European Hospital in Khan Younis was aimed at Sinwar. According to Palestinian officials, the attack caused extensive damage and heavy casualties. The Gaza-based health authorities said at least six people were killed and 40 others injured in the strike.
Netanyahu also outlined four key conditions for ending the broader offensive: the release of all Israeli hostages, the removal of Hamas leadership from Gaza, the group's complete disarmament, and the implementation of the controversial plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump's plan, proposing American control over Gaza and the ethically questionable relocation of Palestinian residents to third countries, has ignited widespread regional and international condemnation.
Israel is also coordinating with the United States on a new aid delivery system intended to prevent Hamas from diverting humanitarian supplies. The plan, Netanyahu said, involves three stages: facilitating basic aid through established organizations, deploying distribution centers run by U.S. private companies, and establishing a Hamas-free "sterile zone" in northern Gaza for direct aid distribution.
No timeline was provided for the implementation of the aid plan, which has drawn criticism from Palestinian officials who see it as a means for Israel to consolidate control over the enclave while sidelining the United Nations. The UN has publicly opposed the proposed system.
"We do not accept a proposal and a plan that does not live up to the core fundamental humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independent delivery of aid," said UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson Jens Laerke in Geneva earlier this month.
The Gaza-based health authorities said on Wednesday that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the first five days of the latest operation, adding that the total Palestinian death toll since October 2023 has reached 53,655. ■
