Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi held a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon for over 70 foreign diplomats and ambassadors from all over the world, including the US, the EU, Russia, China, India, Germany, Austria, Australia, Japan, the UK, Brazil, Canada, and Italy.

Speaking at the IDF’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu explained that the current escalation occurred due to the cancellation of the Palestinian elections.

“Hamas used the events of Jerusalem Day and the situation in Sheikh Jarrah to serve its own political interest,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister said that there is no time frame yet for the end of the conflict. “We’re not standing with a stopwatch. We are taking care of the operation’s goals.”

PM Netanyahu shows to foreign ambassadors accredited to Israel a map of the vast tunnels that Hamas has dug underneath the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza.

Hamas has dug an entire city of terror tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip for launching rockets and hiding terrorists. pic.twitter.com/Kr6YYB613L

— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) May 19, 2021

Netanyahu added that a ground invasion of Gaza has not yet been ruled out.

“There are only two ways you can deal with it. You can either conquer it. And that is always an open possibility. Or you can deter them and we are engaged right now in forceful deterrence but I have to say, we don’t rule out anything. We hope we can restore quiet. We hope we can restore it quickly.”

Netanyahu also slammed the worldwide condemnation of Israel for “targeting innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip” instead of addressing the double war crimes of terrorists “hiding behind civilians and firing on civilians.”

Ashkenazi compared Operation Guardian of the Wall with previous skirmishes with Hamas.

“This round is different,” he said. “Hamas initiated the current escalation in an attempt to dominate the agenda and strengthen its political position within the Palestinian Authority. The international community must ensure that the infrastructure and influx of materials and funds into the [Gaza Strip] benefits the people of Gaza, and that Hamas doesn’t utilize it for its military goals.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)