Israel's withdrawal of troops in southern Gaza Sunday is not being seen as a pullout but as another step in the war to defeat Hamas, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum told Newsmax Sunday.
"I was speaking to some experts this morning, and in fact, they don't see it as a withdrawal," Hassan-Nahoum, also a special envoy for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said on Newsmax's "Sunday Report." "They simply see it as trying to prepare for the next stage of the battle."
She added that Hamas has four last battalions in Gaza, and they are in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
"Israel has to go into Rafah," she said. "Whatever happens, that's where we need to be."
Israel has also been taking defensive steps to protect itself from a retaliatory attack from Iran after Israel's airstrikes on Iranian military officials in Damascus, but Hassan-Nahoum said the main thing her country is dealing with now is the "constant trauma of the hostages still being held in Gaza, held in tunnels from the babies to the elderly" since the Hamas incursion of Israel on Oct. 7.
The loss of Israeli soldiers is also difficult, she said, as her country is very small and "everybody knows everyone."
"Every time you have the loss of a young man, a soldier who's defending his country, everybody somehow is connected to that reality as well," Hassan-Nahoum said. "So essentially, we are determined. We are resilient, but we are heartbroken at what's happened to our people in the last six months."
Meanwhile, peace talks in Cairo will only result in the release of hostages if Hamas agrees, she said.
"They're doubling down, and they claim that they want a cease-fire," Hassan-Nahoum said. "If they really wanted a cease-fire they would immediately agree to the deal that creates a situation for a cease-fire, so maybe they're playing a double game. We know they are playing a double game."
Hassan-Nahoum also Sunday said the United States should be putting pressure on Hamas and its allies, such as Qatar, to reach an agreement.
"Let's not forget that the U.S. has a military base in Qatar and Qatar has a lot of financial interest in the United States," she said. "Everybody is screaming about a cease-fire. It's very simple. Release the hostages and you'll have a cease-fire."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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