Israel's finance minister threatened Hamas that the IDF would stay in Gaza forever

Israel needs to issue an ultimatum to the Palestinian movement Hamas. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Nov. 19.

"To return the kidnapped, we need to occupy the entire northern part of the Gaza Strip and inform Hamas that if the hostages do not return, we will use our sovereignty and stay there forever," IsraeliChannel Sevenquoted the minister as saying.

He said that in order to return the abductees, the Palestinian group must be stripped of its authority in the enclave. Smotrich also added that for this purpose it is necessary not only to conduct military operations, but also to stop sending humanitarian supplies that prolong the life of the Palestinian movement.

Earlier in the day, the Gaza Strip's health ministry said that 50 people were killed and more than 100 injured by the Israeli military in the enclave over the past 24 hours.

Earlier, on November 1, it was reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated a member of the politburo of the Palestinian Hamas movement Izzeddin Kassab in the Gaza Strip. It was specified that he was one of the last high-ranking members of the Hamas politburo to survive in the Gaza Strip. His aide Ayman Ayesh was eliminated along with him.

Prior to this, on October 30, more than 100 people were killed and about 300 injured by the Israeli military (IDF) in the Gaza Strip. It is noted that many of the injured are still under the rubble and can not be evacuated due to the ongoing fighting.

The Israel Defense Forces on October 17 announced the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the south of the Gaza Strip. The report noted that the Hamas leader was wanted for about a year. In turn, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz made a statement that the killing of the head of the movement creates an opportunity for the immediate release of hostages and could lead to a new reality in Gaza. Later, the deputy head of the movement's politburo, Khalil al-Haya, confirmed Sinwar's death. He emphasized that the leader's martyrdom will only increase Hamas' strength.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, when Hamas subjected Israeli territory to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, as well as invaded border areas in the south of the country and took hostages. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes against targets in Gaza.