Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday that the Israeli nation is united in its goal of victory against Hamas, admitting that it was intelligence and security miscalculations that allowed the Palestinian movement to carry out such a devastating attack on October 7. He announced an investigation into the matter, The Guardian reports, citing News.ro.

More than 1,300 Israelis were killed in the surprise attack, and Hamas took at least 199 hostages in Gaza, which it still holds.

“Many questions regarding the disaster that befell us 10 days ago. We will investigate every aspect in detail,” Netanyahu said.

However, he assured that “the nation is united for the sake of one goal – victory. We will win because it is about our very existence in this region that is full of dark forces. Hamas is part of the axis of evil formed by Iran and Hezbollah. They seek to plunge the Middle East into chaos,” Prime Minister Netanyahu told parliament as the army prepared to launch a ground offensive in Gaza.

“We are devoted to all families. We will not stop in our efforts to bring back our brothers and sisters,” Netanyahu promised.

He called on the whole world to unite and fight together against Hamas. “Many around the world now understand who Israel is up against. They understand that Hamas is a new version of Nazism. Just as the world united to defeat the Nazis and ISIS, it must also unite to defeat Hamas,” said the Israeli Prime Minister.

Rocket attack on major Israeli cities during the Knesset session

During this same Knesset (Israeli parliament) session, missile sirens rang out in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv after militants from the Gaza Strip fired long-range rockets at Israel’s largest cities in what was probably the largest airstrike since October 7, the Times of Israel reported. .

Several loud explosions were heard, but there are currently no reports of possible casualties or damage.

Rockets fired at the opening of the Knesset session sent lawmakers and other participants into a bomb shelter and delayed proceedings, the Times of Israel reported.

Before Netanyahu’s speech in parliament, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in turn, sent a message in which he warned about the division of Israeli society.

“Many Israeli citizens are facing a crisis of confidence. The state and its institutions must meet the standards established by the people. People demand responsibility, restoration of trust and rehabilitation of affected communities. They demand to be heard; I am asking for a helping hand. Even in the midst of the ongoing conflict, when our fallen soldiers are not yet buried, dangerous voices are (trying to) sow seeds of division and hatred. Our adversaries are eagerly awaiting any sign of a split between us,” the Israeli president said.