An Israeli army captain has told his soldiers that Jews have been promised land which includes both Gaza and Lebanon.
In a video circulating on social media, the captain, who has not been identified, could be seen speaking to a number of soldiers gathered at a concert organised to raise the soldiers’ morale near the fence separating Israel from the besieged Gaza Strip which has been subjected to an ongoing bombardment for a month.
“Another thing we want to convey, which is something very important, is that our land, our entire land, including Gaza, including Lebanon, is the entire promised land,” the captain says in the video, which was also published by the state broadcaster yesterday.
“We are coming back strong. Gush Katif [a settlement in Gaza that was dismantled in 2005] is a very small thing compared to what we will get,” he added, referring to the invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said the officer was called for clarification by his superiors. It quoted the Israeli army as saying: “We will not allow this type of inappropriate speech.”
For a month, the Israeli army has been launching a devastating bombardment of Gaza, killing 9,770 Palestinians, including 4,800 children and 2,550 women, and injuring more than 24,000 others. As many as 2,060 are also reported missing under the rubble of their homes which had been bombed by Israel.
Meanwhile, as many as 151 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since 7 October and 2,080 were arrested.
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