Israeli Prime Minister: Hamas Actions Are As Alarming As ISIS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first public appearance since Saturday night, delivered a stern message condemning the actions of Hamas during its recent attack on Israel. Speaking passionately to the nation, he compared the atrocities committed by Hamas to those carried out by the jihadist group Islamic State.

Netanyahu began by recounting the tragic loss of Israeli lives during the Hamas incursion. He mentioned with great sorrow how innocent children were bound and executed, a horrifying act that he equated to the brutal killings seen at the hands of ISIS.

“The atrocities committed by Hamas have not been seen since ISIS atrocities. Bound children executed along with their families. Young men and women shot in the back, executed. Other horrors I won’t describe here,” Netanyahu stated with deep concern.

“We have always known who Hamas is. Now the entire world knows. Hamas is ISIS. And we will defeat it just like the enlightened world defeated ISIS. This vile enemy wanted war, and it will get war,” the prime minister added.

In a video shared on Twitter, Netanyahu also stated expressly that Israel “will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come.”

Israel is at war. We didn’t want this war.
It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way.

But though Israel didn’t start this war, Israel will finish it.

Once, the Jewish people were stateless.
Once, the Jewish people were defenseless.
No longer. pic.twitter.com/nzgXN43YYc

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 9, 2023

The recent escalation began when Hamas launched a triple attack on Israel, involving rocket barrages, a successful infiltration into southern towns, and armed incursions via different routes.

In response, Israel initiated a massive airstrike operation, targeting over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad sites in Gaza, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to reduce the group to “rubble.”

As the conflict entered its second day, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah also joined in, launching rocket strikes against Israel in its northern region, citing “solidarity” with the Palestinians.

The ongoing war has tragically resulted in over 1,100 deaths on both sides, leaving thousands wounded and displaced. Additionally, there are grave concerns about over 130 Israeli and other nationals believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas.

Hamas has named its operation “Al-Aqsa Storm,” asserting that it is a response to what they describe as Israeli attacks on women, the prolonged siege of Gaza and the desecration of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

In response, Israel declared its own operation, dubbed “Operation Swords of Iron.” Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant announced a “complete siege” on Gaza, stating, “No electricity, no food, no fuel. Everything closed,” with the added grim note that no water would be delivered either.

This escalating situation continues to raise concerns both regionally and globally, with the world closely watching the unfolding events in the Middle East