War against Hamas expected to last for at least two months: Israeli Defense Minister

Jerusalem (Uttam Hindu News): Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the country’s war with Hamas is expected to last at least two months despite both sides agreeing to a four-day humanitarian pause starting Friday. “This will be a brief pause,” CNN quoted Gallant as saying while visiting Israeli troops on Thursday. “When this ends, the fighting will continue vigorously and pressure will build that will lead to the return of more hostages.” “Expect at least two more months of fighting,” he said. The Israeli military has said the process of handing over the hostages will be “complex”, warning that changes could be made to the deal at any time.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that nothing is finalized until it actually happens. “And even during this process, changes can happen at any time,” he said. The spokesperson also confirmed that Israeli forces are currently continuing fighting in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that once the ceasefire takes effect, IDF troops will be deployed to the ceasefire lines established inside the Strip.

An IDF spokesperson told CNN that the cease-fire line effectively keeps Israeli troops in northern Gaza, and they will not move south during the pause in fighting. Meanwhile, Israel has informed the families of the hostages who are to be released on Friday, Gail Hirsch, the country’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons, said in a statement. “Liaison authorities have notified all the families whose loved ones are on the list, as well as all the families of the hostages,” Hirsch said.

Israel has published a list of names of 300 people eligible for release in exchange. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari told a news conference on Thursday that the first hostages expected to be released would include members of the same family. “They will number 13, all women and children, and those hostages who are from the same family will be put in the same batch,” CNN quoted al-Ansari as saying.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group founded in response to the Hamas attack on Israel, has compiled a list of 201 Israelis who are believed to be alive and have been held hostage in Gaza since October 7. That list of Israeli hostages includes 39 children aged 18 and under, 44 adult women aged 19 to 64 and 89 adult men, and 29 people aged 65 and older.