’No clear manner to do that operation’

”We have to go to the south [of Gaza]. It is a secure haven for them [Hamas], not all of the south, some areas,” Haim Regev, the Israeli ambassador, instructed EUobserver in Brussels on Thursday (30 November).

”I will not go into what strategies we’ll use [ground incursion or air strikes], however, after all, we will attempt as a lot as we are able to to let individuals [Palestinian civilians] go away,” he mentioned.

Requested the place they might go, given ongoing warfare within the ruined north and Gaza’s sealed borders, Regev mentioned: ”There may be nonetheless sufficient place to maneuver to some areas [in south Gaza] that we’ll declare”.

The Hamas group, which guidelines Gaza, attacked Israel on 7 October, murdering round 1,200 Israelis and taking roughly 240 individuals hostage.

Israel has killed round 15,000 individuals in Gaza, together with 6,000 youngsters and 4,000 girls, and compelled 1.8 million Palestinians to flee their houses over the previous seven weeks, in accordance with the UN.

Israel’s said goal is to destroy Hamas’ foremost management and navy capabilities in Gaza and to free Israeli hostages.

And this is the reason Israel has rejected UN and Arab requires a sturdy ceasefire, Regev mentioned, as a six-day pause in hostilities ended at 6AM on Friday morning.

”We have to full this. There’s not a ’day after’ [the war] for Gaza so long as Hamas is there,” he mentioned.

”That is the which means of stopping the battle at the moment — Hamas is there and we is not going to enable this to occur,” he added.

A minority of EU nations, together with Belgium, Eire, and Spain, have voiced severe issues at Israel’s conduct of the battle.

However Regev mentioned prime EU officers, and ”[European Commission president Ursula] von der Leyen particularly”, in addition to main EU capitals backed what Israel was doing.

”There may be erosion [in EU sympathy], however in the event you have a look at the primary nations, you see there’s an understanding on the EU degree, together with leaders — we nonetheless see the assist,” he mentioned.

The EU is drawing up proposals for who ought to govern Gaza after Israel stops combating and pulls out its forces.

And Regev mentioned the EU might need a job in what he known as a post-war ”interim interval” of ”demilitarisation and reconstruction”.

”The EU is changing into extra related to the subsequent stage. I do know it. We’re discussing it”, he mentioned.

One possibility was to contain an advert hoc coalition of keen regional and different overseas nations.

However Regev dominated out the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs elements of the West financial institution, calling it ”unready” for the duty.

He additionally mentioned the UN was unfit as a result of its Unifil peacekeeping pressure cannot even handle to police the Israeli-Lebanon border.

Regev spoke to EUobserver the identical day Hamas claimed duty for killing 4 Israelis in Jerusalem.

Israel has killed over 200 individuals within the West Financial institution and East Jerusalem since 7 October.

However the Israeli ambassador mentioned that whereas Hamas had cells within the West Financial institution, ”there isn’t any battle there”.

He voiced ”concern” Gaza bloodshed might radicalise Palestinians and Muslims additional afield, however mentioned an EU crackdown on funds for Hamas and associated teams would assist curb recruitment.

One cause for the ”erosion” in European sympathy have been the ever-louder calls that Israel was violating worldwide legislation by disproportionate use of pressure in Gaza, compelled displacement, and collective punishment.

However Regev mentioned: ”Gaza is one huge navy base — they [Hamas] use each single place to cover rockets, explosives, so what would you like us to go [sic], surgical procedure? To threat our troopers?”.

”There is no such thing as a clear manner to do that operation, like there was no clear method to beat the Nazis or Isis”, he mentioned, referring to the Islamist extremist group previously based mostly in Syria.

Two Israeli ministers (Gila Gamliel and Avi Dichter) have known as to expell all Palestinians from Gaza.

One minister (Amichai Eliyahu) mentioned Gaza ought to be nuked, whereas Israeli president Isaac Herzog has mentioned: ”Nobody is harmless within the Gaza Strip together with civilians”.

However when requested if Israelis ”hated” Palestinian individuals due to what Hamas did, Regev mentioned: ”No. No. No.”

He admitted there have been emotions of ”worry”, ”rage”, and ”betrayal” in Israeli society, in addition to ”zero belief” for Palestinian individuals.

The veteran 56-year-old diplomat was himself ”shocked” after watching graphic photos of Hamas’ atrocities, Regev mentioned. ”What struck me most was their pleasure amid the brutality”, he mentioned.

He added: ”I really feel sorry for them [Palestinian civilians in Gaza]. I really feel sorry for them, positively — sorry for individuals who must flee their houses”.

Root causes

But when Regev nonetheless had buddies in excessive locations in Brussels, then Israel’s grant of €40m for West-Financial institution settlers in the midst of final week’s six-day ceasefire drew rebukes from the EU.

”This isn’t self-defence,” mentioned a ”shocked” EU foreign-relations chief Josep Borrell on the time. Violent settlers have been ”pouring gasoline on the hearth”, US national-security adviser Jake Sullivan additionally mentioned on 29 October.

The EU has been warning for years that the 700,000 ”unlawful” Israeli settlers within the West Financial institution, in addition to the each day cruelties of Israel’s occupation, have been ”root causes” of instability.

However Regev dismissed that, saying: ”I’m not ashamed of it [the new settler grant]. No. This isn’t a part of the battle. That is positively not a part of the battle”.

He additionally justified the West Financial institution killings since 7 October, including: ”Did you see the listing of people that have been killed there? They’re terrorists. They’re Hamas activists attempting to affix the social gathering”.

This was not totally true, in accordance with the UN, which says 54 of the Palestinians killed have been youngsters and that eight individuals have been murdered by settlers.

However for Regev, the one reason for the 7 October pogrom was antisemitic indoctrination of Palestinians and different Arabs by Hamas and by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The brotherhood is a global Islamist group backed politically by Qatar and Turkey, however known as terrorists by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

”They’ve an issue that Jews dwell in Palestine. The tip of the highway goes again to this ideological motion … it isn’t solely a terrorist group — that is the issue, it is an thought,” Regev mentioned.

”For them, we [Jewish people] usually are not human,” he mentioned.

Peace horizon

Trying on the long-term horizon, the UN, EU, and US endorse a negotiated two-state resolution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, as the one method to lasting peace.

However talks between Israel and the PA floor stopped 10 years in the past, shaping the established order ante of seven October.

And Regev warned there might by no means be new talks, as long as Hamas posed a hazard of extra massacres.

”The one hope for an actual peace course of is that if we full the job, as a result of so long as there’s Hamas it isn’t going to occur. No Israeli will talk about any type of political resolution to the West Financial institution earlier than we all know there is not any extra risk,” he mentioned.

”One good factor that would possibly come from this [7 October] was that they broke the established order. Hamas did that,” he added.

”They [Hamas] did it for the unhealthy, but when we reach our mission, possibly the individuals of Gaza can as soon as and for all have an opportunity for a standard life, as a result of there shall be no terrorist group controlling them,” he mentioned.