Israel Shares Ominous Warning About Next Phase of War

Israel's defense minister Yoav Gallant has defended his country's conduct of the war against Hamas, which he said would be lengthy because, "we are fighting an axis, not a single enemy."

Gallant's comments in an interview with The Wall Street Journal come as aid group the International Rescue Committee (IRC) told Newsweek of its fears for patients and staff at Al-Aqsa Hospital, the only functioning medical facility in Gaza's Middle Area, where fighting between Israel and Hamas is closing in.

Gallant said the scale of the Hamas attacks on October 7, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and over 200 taken hostage, some of whom are still in captivity, justified Israel's response. Israel has been condemned internationally for its subsequent bombardment and invasion of Gaza that has resulted in the deaths of more than 22,000 people, according to the Associated Press, citing authorities in the Hamas-run territory.

"October 7 was the bloodiest day for Jewish people since 1945," said Gallant, who along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Unity party head Benny Gantz, is among Israel's war Cabinet.

"The world needs to understand—this is different," he said, noting the need to deter adversaries allied with Iran, which backs Hamas.

He said Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were close to the next phase in the north, including in Gaza City, where troops have largely established control above ground and are trying to destroy the underground tunnels they say are used by Hamas.

Gallant said Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where Israeli troops have been deployed to counter the threat of Hezbollah, was an area of concern.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has warned of a response to a suspected Israeli strike that killed Hamas leader Salah al-Arouri in Beirut, as Israel calls for Hezbollah forces to be pulled back from border areas in Lebanon.

"The priority isn't to get into a war" with Hezbollah, Gallant said, but "we are willing to sacrifice…they know we can copy-paste to Beirut."

"Iran is building up military power around Israel in order to use it," he said. "We are fighting an axis, not a single enemy."

The IRC said it was "deeply appalled" it had to withdraw its Emergency Medical Team (EMT) from Al-Aqsa Hospital because of the risk posed by fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants. Given recent fatalities among medical staff in Gaza, the team is unable to return.

The IRC said that the protection hospitals, medical staff and civilians had under international law must be upheld and the dismantling of health services in the north of Gaza must not be repeated in the center and south of the territory.

In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Nick Maynard, a surgeon and clinical lead for the EMT, said the number of injured people in the last few days "has been horrific, and with a huge reduction in the number of staff able to come to the hospital there is even less capacity for treating them."

"There are patients clearly dying in the emergency department who could be saved if there were enough staff," Maynard added.

James Smith, emergency medical specialist with the EMT, said: "We fear for the immediate safety of people in the area, the Palestinian staff we've worked alongside, the hundreds of patients in the hospital, and thousands of displaced people in the hospital compound and nearby camps."

This comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Jordanian and Qatari leaders on Sunday in a new regional push that includes a trip to Israel to try to stop the Gaza war from spreading. Adding to regional tensions are increasing attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and strikes by Tehran-linked groups on U.S. bases in Iraq.