Hamas terrorists brutally killed and tortured Israeli citizens in their attack on the Jewish country nearly three weeks ago, causing more than 14,000 Israeli citizens to be murdered.
According to the Jerusalem Post, a handwritten note was found on the body of a Hamas member, encouraging other terrorists to remove the heads, hearts, and livers of their Israeli victims.
“You must sharpen the blades of your swords and be pure in your intentions before Allah. Know that the enemy is a disease that has no cure, except beheading and removing the hearts and livers. Attack them!” the note reads in Arabic.
The note reportedly came from Hamas leadership, declaring the religious importance of massacring Jews wherever they are found.
During an interview with CBS News, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said the massacre was something he had never seen.
“This is a war. We have to fight. There is only one goal: Defeat Hamas. Kill the leaders of terror and bring our people home,” Hagari said. “We have only one country. It’s Israel. It’s our democracy; it’s our country. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to fight for our country, and we’re going to use all the means we can.”
The Israeli Defense Force announced that there are still 222 hostages in Gaza, including foreigners believed captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7 invasion. At the moment, four Israeli hostages have been released.
On Friday, photos show Israeli tanks lined up on the Gaza border as Israeli officials warned it would soon launch a ground invasion in the coming days.
However, Israel’s stance shifted significantly on Tuesday despite the Israeli military ramping up its occupancy on the southern border with Gaza.
The Israeli government agreed to consider delaying their ground invasion of Gaza for several days to hear negotiations as Hamas is still holding more than 200 hostages.
“Both Israel and the Biden administration want to exhaust every effort to try and get hostages out of Gaza,” an unidentified senior Israeli official told Axios. “If Hamas proposes a big package, of course, we will be ready to do things in return.”