White House interns demand a Middle East cease-fire in letter to Biden
NBCDec 01, 2023
Netanyahu: Israeli Forces Surround Hamas Leader's House
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Image copyright: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images News [via Getty Images]
The Facts
In a video address on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israeli troops had encircled the residence of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Though he didn't indicate where the home is located, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been operating in southern Khan Younis, where Sinwar was reportedly born.
This comes as the IDF is reportedly in the process of encircling Khan Younis, with an Israeli commander saying that Israeli troops are attacking Hamas "strongholds” in the south, adding that Tuesday was "the most intense" day of fighting since the ground war began. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) confirmed Wednesday they were confronting Israeli forces on the city's outskirts.
The Spin
Pro-Israel narrative
Though this has been a tragic war, Israel cannot allow Hamas to survive. Hamas seized upon last week's temporary pause to mark Israeli positions and prepare itself for continued attacks on Israeli forces in Gaza. Indeed, the pace at which Israeli forces maneuvered in Gaza threw Hamas's military leadership off-kilter, and Israel will have to work intelligently in its campaign in the south of the strip to fully eliminate the terrorist group so it can never launch an attack like Oct. 7 again.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel continues to demonstrate that its war is not against Hamas but against the Palestinian people as a whole. Nowhere in Gaza is safe, and Israel has effectively rendered the north of the strip unlivable. Unfortunately, the temporary ceasefire only gave civilians a few days of relative rest, and now Israel has returned to killing Palestinians at an unprecedented rate. The US, Israel's biggest ally, must exert more pressure to end the war.
