The government says the war has already spread on several fronts

War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz – one of the opposition leaders before the October 7 attack and the formation of the crisis cabinet – acknowledged that Israel is waging a “multi-front war” not just in the Gaza Strip. Until now, the prime minister has denied that the military should pay too much attention, but rising tensions on the border with Lebanon no longer allow for language nuances.

“The focus is Gaza, but we struggle in the north in defense and attack [Líbano] As in other places,” the minister said, in a speech at army headquarters in the capital Tel Aviv, marking a month since the October 7 attack by Hamas.

According to the Israeli press, more than 20 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon this Tuesday, while American diplomats continue to try to prevent the Lebanese Hezbollah movement from escalating its attacks.

Gantz added that “the war we’re fighting in Gaza is different from what we’ve experienced in the past,” pointing out how deeply Hamas is entrenched within the civilian population, according to the same sources. No wonder: As Hamas and the Palestinian Authority cut off institutional ties, the enclave was left to its own devices, allowing radical groups to take over all aspects of Palestinian life. Israel, between the Mediterranean and Egypt.

“We are forced to fight deep against an enemy that has turned hospitals and schools into theaters of war and weapons depots,” Kantz said. The minister, who served as defense minister in a coalition cabinet with Benjamin Netanyahu, also said Israel would do everything in its power to free the hostages — both from a political and military perspective — before fighting him. Must be one of the most important points of crisis.

“I promise that we will do everything to bring them home through force and political action. We will fight against those who need it and we will speak out as much as we can,” he said, refraining from endorsing the exchange of Palestinian security prisoners proposed by some sources.

But the perception that the crisis government is inconsistent in this area persists. Indeed, yesterday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called the Gaza Strip “the biggest terrorist base ever built by mankind”, again ruling out any humanitarian pause before the release of more than 240 hostages held in the enclave. By Hamas.

In a statement, Gallant said that Ground Defense Forces (IDF) were deployed “in the heart” of Gaza City and occupied terrorist strongholds that moved “in all directions, in perfect coordination with sea and air forces.” Tightening the siege” around the city. “We will continue until the victory and the hostages return home,” he says — and as many military analysts have warned, one could prevent the other.

Regarding the growing international pressure to declare a humanitarian ceasefire, Gallant said, “Humanitarian ceasefires, to me, first and foremost mean the return of hostages held by the barbarians. Without this return there would be no humanitarian ceasefire.

The hostage situation led to hundreds of people protesting in front of the UN headquarters in New York to demand their release. Protesters are calling on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to act immediately in the face of what they say is the biggest hostage crisis in modern history. Demonstrators on behalf of the Israeli Forum for Hostages and Families of the Disappeared held placards labeled hostages with photos of the UN secretary-general’s wife and children and asked, “What would you do if your family was held hostage?”

However, according to Israeli newspapers, the National Planning and Construction Council has moved forward with plans to establish a new Jewish community near the border with Gaza. Environmental Protection Minister Itid Silman will write the proposal against the views of Likud (the same party as Netanyahu) and some elements of his own team. In fact, according to the same sources, some elements of the ministry are of the view that this should include the re-establishment of existing towns in the neighborhood that were looted during the October 7 attack. Idit Silman backtracked, but recalled that the “Zionist position” meant supporting projects that would help expand Israel’s hegemony over the region.