IDF
In a speech on Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid “want[ed] to speak directly to the residents of the Gaza Strip” to tell them that continued violence does not need to be the future.
The Prime Minister stated that he wanted to tell Gaza’s civilian population that “there is another way. We know how to protect ourselves from anyone who threatens us, but we also know how to provide employment, a livelihood and a life of dignity to those who wish to live by our side in peace. There is another way to live. The way of the Abraham Accords, of the Negev Summit, of innovation and prosperity, of regional development and joint projects. The choice is yours. Your future is in your hands”.
The statement from the Israeli leader followed last weekend’s conflict, during which the Iran-backed terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired as many as 1,100 rockets from Gaza towards Israel in just three days as Israel undertook 170 targeted strikes against the groups’ terror infrastructure and key personnel – the worst violence in the region since May 2021.
Islamic Jihad began firing rockets on Friday afternoon, shortly after the Israel Defense Forces killed senior commander Tayseer Jabari (Northern Gaza Division Commander) in a targeted strike due to his reported involvement in an “imminent” attack on Israel. The three-day conflict ended at 11:30pm (local) on Sunday night, as an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire took effect.
It has been reported by the Prime Minister’s office that Prime Minister Lapid “spoke at length” with the Egyptian President Abdek Fattah al-Sisi. During the conversation Mr Lapid “expressing his appreciation to the President of Egypt for his extensive efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip” and “emphasised that Egypt plays a very significant role in preserving regional stability and security”.
