Roni Kaplan: The war seeks that the next generation does not live under the shadow of Gaza

Israel.– The spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Roni Kaplan, assured that the conflict in Gaza could end immediately if Hamas laid down its arms and released the hostages.

“This war has two objectives: to bring our hostages home and to dismantle Hamas from a military and political point of view. Hamas could end this war in five minutes if it lays down its arms and returns the hostages. It doesn't do so because it wants to remain in power,” Kaplan told Dominican journalists visiting Israel.

The spokesperson emphasized that Israel is not seeking to raze Gaza or expel its population, but rather to eliminate the terrorist threat posed by Hamas.

"Our fight is not against civilians, but against a group that has used its own people as a human shield for 18 years, building tunnels and military bases under hospitals and residential neighborhoods," he explained.

Kaplan stressed that the conflict is existential: "If we don't finish with Hamas, they will repeat another October 7th. That's why we insist that it's not a matter of proportion, it's a matter of survival. We cannot allow a terrorist group to govern a kilometer from our communities."

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Finally, he defended that Israel acts under humanitarian parameters. "We open corridors and allow the entry of thousands of trucks with aid. No army in history has allowed so much assistance to the civilian population of the enemy in the midst of war. But the definitive solution is in the hands of Hamas."