Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Libby Weiss updated Filipino reporters on the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. (Screengrab/ IDF press briefing)
MANILA, Philippines — Individuals who are calling for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas do not understand the full extent of the situation, said Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Major Libby Weiss.
Weiss explained that Israel is only doing as “any other country would” in a situation as they are currently in.
“We cannot live with this kind of threat next door to us. I think the calls for ceasefire, perhaps, don’t fully understand the reality of what took place here. This was a massacre, this was a full-scale massacre and I cannot imagine, truly, any country in the world that would experience a massacre like this and would not feel compelled to go after the people who did this and make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” said Weiss during an online press briefing with Filipino reporters on Tuesday.
“We are [only] responding as any other country would in the situation like this and the questions about the public in Gaza — these are important questions and of course, they are not our target but it is Hamas’ responsibility to care for the welfare of the sovereigns there. That is on them to answer,” she added.
According to Weiss, the situation between Israel and Hamas is still “very tense.”
In the same briefing, the official said the IDF is ready for “any decision that the [Israel] government would make” about possibly “escalating the fight” between Israel and Hamas.
Weiss said 195 individuals were abducted by Hamas into Gaza. She likewise disclosed that they are still in the process of identifying these people, but she noted that many of the hostages hold dual citizenship or potentially other citizens of other countries.
“The people who were kidnapped, many of them are Israeli, but not only [Israeli]. It’s a clear sign here that this is an issue that should be concerning the entire world. This is not just sort of an Israel issue, but one that certainly all of our allies in other countries in the world are monitoring very closely,” she said.
She also stressed that all actions of the IDF are against Hamas and they have “nothing against the civilian population of Gaza.”
This, according to Weiss, is the reason why the IDF provided a warning telling people in the northern part of the Gaza Strip to evacuate and move towards the southern end of the area.