Israel does not want to fight a multi-front war against Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north, Lt. Fay Goldstein, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces tells Newsmax.
Goldstein added that while Israel is prepared "to do whatever it takes" to secure its borders, "we don't want to open this up to a multi-front war."
As Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, one of the major concerns is that this may provoke the terrorist organization Hezbollah to attack Israel from the north, sparking a wider Middle East war.
Hezbollah occupies southern Lebanon and is a proxy for Iran.
"Our focus right now is on Hamas," she said on "National Report," "and to ensure that Hamas again does not have any power within Gaza and is dismantled as an organization.
"We will not allow the Gaza Strip to be a staging ground for butchering Israelis anymore."
While Goldstein did not release details of the number of strikes Israel has launched on Gaza or exact targets, she did say a number of top Hamas operatives have been taken out.
"We are very, very much again focusing on the top brass," she said.
President Joe Biden is traveling to Israel on Wednesday and has said he is against that country occupying Gaza. A risky ground invasion of Gaza would include attempts to secure the 200 hostages that the terrorist group Hamas is holding. Hamas has released a video of a young female hostage who appears to be wounded.
"This is exactly psychological warfare, and Hamas' exact point is for people looking at the scenario to distract from Hamas atrocities," Goldstein said. "They are also lying about certain attacks, stealing fuel from their hospitals, and preventing Gaza evacuations. This is all part of Hamas' approach."
Israel has warned Gazans to leave the north part of the territory, but Hamas has told people to stay put.
Newsweek reported that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which services Palestinians in Gaza, claimed that men acting under Hamas authorities seized fuel, medical supplies, and other types of material that were supposed to be used for strictly humanitarian purposes.
"Hamas is trying to convince the world that what they're doing hasn't been an absolute massacre of insanely horrific proportions," Goldstein said.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Peter Malbin ✉
Peter Malbin, a Newsmax writer, covers news and politics. He has 30 years of news experience, including for the New York Times, New York Post and Newsweek.com.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.