Hamas reveals its plan for ‘permanent war with Israel’: Terror group says it hopes ‘the Arab world will stand with us’ and boasts ‘no-one in the region is experiencing calm’

Hamas has unveiled its plan for a “permanent state of war” with Israel, urging allies in the Arab world to “stand behind” Gaza amid fears the conflict could spiral into a regional conflict.

Taher El-Nounou, a media adviser to Hamas, told the New York Times that the terrible events unfolding in the Middle East since October 7 are necessary “to change the whole equation and not just lead to a clash.” come’.

“We managed to put the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region experiences peace,” El-Nounou said.

“I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all borders, and that the Arab world will support us.”

At least 10,569 Palestinians, including 4,324 children, have been killed and 26,457 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the past month, most of whom died during Hamas’s first incursion into southern Israel.

The comments come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Israel could take indefinite “security responsibility” over the Gaza Strip if or when the conflict subsides.

Netanyahu told ABC News said Tuesday that Gaza should be governed by “those who do not want to continue in Hamas’s path.”

“I think Israel will have overall security responsibility indefinitely, because we have seen what happens when we don’t have it.

“If we don’t have that security responsibility, what we get is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale we couldn’t imagine.”

Netanyahu also said firmly that there would be “no ceasefire, no general ceasefire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages.”

‘As far as the tactical little breaks, an hour here, an hour there. We’ve had them before, I guess we’ll control the conditions to allow goods, humanitarian goods, to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave.”

According to Israeli authorities, Hamas is holding at least 240 people hostage in Gaza and takes dozens of people to the enclave on October 7. The hostages include 33 children, the elderly, foreigners or dual nationals, and Israeli soldiers.

So far, four civilian hostages have been released: two on October 20 and two on October 24.

Qatar is currently mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the possible release of another 10 to 15 hostages in exchange for a short ceasefire, it was reported today.

The ceasefire would last one to two days, during which up to 15 hostages captured by Hamas gunmen on October 7 will be released, a source briefed on the talks said today.

Netanyahu’s other comments about the potential “security responsibility” over Gaza prompted questions from onlookers, including the United States.

“Reoccupying Gaza by Israeli forces is not the right thing to do,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. said.

But he added: “Israel and the United States are friends and we don’t have to agree on every word… Netanyahu and Biden are not always exactly in the same place on every issue.”

Experts have warned that a military occupation of the Gaza Strip cannot effectively oust Hamas – and could only fuel resentment towards Israel.

Rafi Cohen, director of RAND’s Strategy and Doctrine Program, said: “Israel can forcibly remove Hamas from political power in Gaza and that is still a significant victory – but I think it is a real concern that the presence of the IDF (in Gaza) hatred of Israel.’

Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King’s College London, suggested that Israel would have a challenge in assessing the risks of occupying Gaza – and would not.

“Until four weeks ago, most Israeli generals would have said that reoccupying Gaza is a terrible idea, and that occupying Gaza is neither good for the people of Gaza nor for Israel. But it is clear that the risks emanating from that area are now considered unacceptable,” he said.

“Israel should think twice about whether this is the right way forward.”

Fears are also growing that the war could become a broader regional conflict, with Iran backing Hamas allies in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen against Israel.

During the war, Israel clashed several times on its southern border with Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

And Israel has sent missile boats to the Red Sea to fend off possible attacks by Iranian-backed forces in Yemen.

Israel has made steady gains after weeks of devastating attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces are now advancing ‘deep inside’ Gaza City, waging intense and bloody fighting against Hamas.

“We are in the heart of Gaza City,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said today, adding that Israel is “tightening the noose.”

Combat engineers use now explosives to destroy a tunnel network stretching hundreds of kilometers beneath the territory.

Amid the invasion, Israeli forces today claimed to have killed a Hamas arms boss and cornered the mastermind of the horrific October 7 massacre in his bunker, as Israeli forces continue to advance ‘deep into’ Gaza City .

Israeli airstrikes “eliminated” leading Hamas armorer Mahsein Abu Zina and several terrorists who attacked IDF forces with surface-to-surface rocket fire, the army said today.

Israeli forces also managed to corner Yahya Sinwar, the top Hamas leader in Gaza and believed to be a key planner of the October 7 attacks that killed 1,400 Israelis, in his bunker.

The death toll in Gaza reached a grim milestone this week, with more than 10,000 dead, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Gaza was “becoming a graveyard for children” and reiterated calls for a ceasefire.