WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had sharp words Friday for pro-Palestine protesters who blame Israel for prompting the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
“This is no time for neutrality or for false equivalence, or for excuses for the inexcusable,” Austin told reporters in Tel Aviv. “There is never any justification for terrorism, and that’s especially true after this rampage by Hamas.”
The Pentagon chief spoke as Palestinians and their allies planned protests across the US Friday, urging the US to stop support to Israel as its forces plan to invade the Gaza Strip in response to last week’s slaughter of at least 1,300.
“Anyone who wants lasting peace and security for this region must condemn and isolate Hamas,” Austin said. “Hamas does not speak for the Palestinian people or their legitimate hopes for dignity, security, and statehood and peace alongside Israel.”
Austin was joined by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who pleaded for Palestinian civilians in Gaza “to evacuate and move south” to avoid becoming casualties of Israel’s plan to wipe out Hamas and its infrastructure.
Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel
“Israel will never, ever shoot civilians on purpose … The camouflage of the terrorists is the civil population, therefore we need to separate them,” Gallant said. “So those who want to save their life, please go south.“
“We are going to destroy Hamas infrastructures, Hamas headquarters, Hamas military establishment and take these phenomena out of Gaza and out of the Earth – they cannot live among human civilized people,” he added.
Hours later, the Israel Defense Forces revealed it had executed a series of raids in the Gaza Strip “to complete the effort to cleanse the area of terrorists and weapons” as well as find scores of hostages held by Hamas.
“Infantry and armored forces searched and gathered in the area for findings that may help in the effort to locate the missing and thwarted terrorist infrastructure and terrorist cells found in the area, among which a cell of the terrorist organization Hamas fired anti-tank fire at Israeli territory,” the IDF said on X.
Austin, who once led the combatant command overseeing US operations in the Middle East, said the IDF’s force is warranted following Hamas’ atrocities last week.
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“The deliberate cruelty of Hamas vividly reminds me of ISIS: bloodthirsty, fanatical and hateful,” he said. “Encountering ISIS, I felt as if we were staring evil in the eye; it was truly evil. And what we’ve seen from Hamas – it takes that evil to another level.”
Gallant agreed, calling Hamas “the ISIS of Gaza, an organization enjoying the Iranian payroll.”
“I cannot let the world forget the brutal attacks Hamas always conduct against Israeli children, Israeli women, Israeli elderly and entire families,” he said. “Murder, rape, kidnapping — this is what we face in this war.”
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip over three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: Terrorist group Hamas wins a Palestinian legislative election.
2007: Hamas seizes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the town of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years.
Over 1,300 Israelis are dead, more than 3,000 are wounded and at least 100 were taken hostage, with the death toll expected to rise after Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of militants into Israeli towns.
Hamas terrorists were seen taking female hostages and parading them down the street in horrifying videos.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
Gaza health officials report at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 6,000 injured.
Asked whether he thought Iran approved the attacks, Gallant said: “It doesn’t matter if they give or didn’t give a permission, but the idea is an Iranian idea.”
“Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas is one axis – an axis of evil,” he said. “Everything is directed generally from Iran.
“The permission is given by Iran, the money is supplied by Iran and the ideas are shaped in Iran.”