In his first comments on the unfolding conflict in Israel, former President George W. Bush said he expected the impending Israeli ground attack on Gaza “to be ugly.”
Israel on Friday called on civilians in the northern half of the Gaza Strip to move south within the next 24 hours as it continues to mass tanks, weapons and soldiers around the Palestinian territory in response to last weekend’s terror attack by Hamas.
“Hamas is a political organization. They do not reflect the majority of Palestinians,” Bush said.
“And don’t be surprised if Israel does whatever is necessary to defend itself. And it’s going to be ugly for a while.’
More than 1,200 were killed when Hamas fighters swept out of Gaza last Saturday, shooting women and children as well as Israeli military personnel.
In his first comments on the unfolding conflict in Israel, former President George W. Bush said he expected the impending Israeli ground attack on Gaza to be “ugly.”
Israel has continued an intense bombardment of Gaza since last Saturday’s unprecedented attack by Hamas terrorists, which killed more than 1,200 people
Israel has since continued its aerial bombardment of Gaza, hitting what it says are Hamas targets.
Gaza’s health ministry announced Friday that 1,799 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes so far.
The United Nations said more than 400,000 people were left homeless and 23 aid workers were among the dead.
The next step is an expected ground invasion of Gaza as Israel tries to prevent any repeat of the unprecedented Hamas offensive.
Bush was president during much of the Second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising. And it supported Operation Cast Lead in late 2008, when Israeli forces launched a 22-day military offensive on the Gaza Strip that included a ground invasion.
In video of a private event obtained by Axios, he said it is vital for the US to stand with Israel now.
“I hope and (I’m) quite confident that the United States will stand firmly by Israel.
“You know, it will be difficult to go to the neighborhoods of Gaza. And you know, he has a very experienced military, but they just called up 300,000 reservists. Most of them probably can’t shoot a rifle, and to the extent that they are put in harm’s way, it will be terribly difficult for the prime minister, but he has to do it.
“He has to do these things… you’re dealing with cold-blooded killers.”
Palestinian civilians inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes on October 13, 2023 in Gaza City, Gaza. Israel has blockaded Gaza and launched constant retaliatory airstrikes, which have killed at least 1,700 people
An Israeli flag flies over body bags of more than 20 dead Hamas militants with the word “terrorist” written in Hebrew, in a field in Kibbutz Be’eri, where dozens of civilians were killed
Bush said there was no way Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would face a group intent on killing as many Israeli civilians as possible
Even so, protests have taken place around the world demanding that Israel show restraint in its dealings with Gaza.
World leaders and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also reminded the government of its responsibilities.
On Thursday, Blinken stood by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said: “Israel has the right to defend itself … what matters is how Israel does it.”
For his part, Bush said it was a mistake to think any kind of negotiation was possible now.
“They are not going to negotiate,” he said of Israel.
“These people have played their cards. They want to kill as many Israelis as they can and negotiating with murderers is not an option for the elected government of Israel.
“And so we’ll just have to stand firm.”
The Bush Institute issued a statement immediately after the attack.
“We urge the United States and our allies to stand unequivocally with Israel, its government and people, and support Israel’s right to defend itself against these threats,” it said.
“Attacks on free and democratic states anywhere are attacks on all of us, whether in Israel, Ukraine or elsewhere.