"Israel at war with Hamas, not with Palestinians", asserts Israeli government

In the midst of the current confrontation between Israel and Hamas, Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), stated that Israel’s issue is with Hamas, not with the Palestinian people.

Heinrich emphasised the resilience of Israeli families and the importance of taking action against Hamas, saying, “Their resilience is our strength. The ones who are aching the most are the ones giving us the most strength.”

“Today it is important to highlight what the families told the PM of Israel and what they told the entire nation of Israel, to hold our heads high and to do what must be done against Hamas,” she said addressing a virtual press conference on Monday.

In the midst of the current confrontation between Israel and Hamas, Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), stated that Israel’s fight is with Hamas, not with the Palestinian people.

“The IDF found evidence of Hamas-produced kidnapper’s guide. Now the guide explains in gruesome detail how Hamas terrorists should capture and torture kidnapped civilians,” added Heinrich.

She went on to say that the guide revealed “gruesome methods” that terrorists from Hamas would use to arrest and torture kidnapped individuals. She added that the fight against Hamas has resulted in more than 1,500 Israeli deaths and 3,900 injuries.

Highlighting the critical distinction, Heinrich said, “Israel is at war with Hamas and not with the people of Palestine.”

And I urge you to ask your sources in Gaza why Hamas is exploiting innocent Palestinians and is using them as human shields.

She also raised concern about how Hamas “uses them as human shields with zero regard for their safety” by blocking Palestinians in Gaza from relocating to safer locations.

Heinrich also discussed the situation in northern Gaza, noting that while 14 hospitals did not evacuate their patients and personnel, six hospitals did.

“I was asked yesterday specifically about the state of hospitals in northern Gaza. You see, there are 20 hospitals in that area. The IDF says that six hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip had decided to independently evacuate. However, 14 did not,” said Heinrich.

Heinrich also highlighted information from a United Nations Relief and Works Agency study showing that a group posing as the Gaza Ministry of Health had withdrawn or stolen gasoline and medical supplies.

Heinrich emphasised that encouraging Palestinians to temporarily relocate to safer areas “will save lives” and urged the international community to support this. She referred to Israel’s own evacuation efforts, which resulted in the evacuation of more than 80,000 Israeli people and 28 villages in northern Israel.

Heinrich discussed the most recent military operations, stating that the IDF had carried out several airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, aiming to hit the Hamas leadership, mortar launchers, and terrorists at a military base. In particular, Ali Qadhi’s command post, a commander in the Hamas commando forces, was also killed.

“The targets included Hamas headquarters, mortar launching positions, and a number of terrorists at a military compound,” said Heinrich.

Heinrich thanked Israel’s partners for their continued support and cited US President Joe Biden’s invitation to visit Israel soon from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu invited US President Joe Biden to Israel, and we hope to host the president soon,” she conveyed gratitude for the united front against the ongoing conflict.

(With agency inputs)