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Tags: john bolton | israel | gaza | hamas | invasion

John Bolton to Newsmax: US Must Support Israel's Gaza Invasion

By    |   Friday, 13 October 2023 02:29 PM EDT

The Israelis will have to invade Gaza within a few days, the operation will be "very difficult and probably costly for both sides," and the United States should "be there" supporting the fight, as it won't be over quickly, former National Security Adviser and U.N. Ambassador John Bolton told Newsmax. 

"They've got at least 100,000 probably more right near Gaza and other capabilities: armor, artillery, naval, and you can't keep poised and at that level of readiness for a long period," Bolton told Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight" Thursday.

He added that if Hamas was a "reasonable organization," it would find a way to make a deal to release the hostages it is holding, but most likely that won't happen. 

"From Hamas's point of view, this is how they're going to get exactly what they want, which is for the Israelis to come into Gaza, and it will be a battle of attrition," said Bolton. 

Further, he said that one can "almost guarantee" that all the hostages are not in one location, making the situation even more dire. 

"It's a very risky proposition," said Bolton. "Even if they saved, say, two or three at one location, Hamas might take revenge in another. I don't envy the Israelis their task."

And that's why Americans should be there if the Israelis want their assistance, Bolton added. 

"We've got great capabilities," he said. "There are American lives at risk here. We've lost over 20 Americans already, so I think the hostage thing is going to be very tricky."

Israel, Bolton added, "has made it clear that eliminating the Hamas capability to terrorize Israel is their objective," but he doesn't think that will be enough. 

"I think, given the Mullahs in Tehran really are responsible for this operation, until they're dealt with, the terrorist threat Israel faces through a weakened Hamas is still very strong," said Bolton. 

Meanwhile, Bolton said he does not believe that Hamas terrorists have fled the region through the tunnel system that exists, adding that "a lot of them are still there" and waiting to fight Israel.

"When you hear proposals just to have mass exoduses from the Rafa Gate into Egypt that is a way amidst the women and children and so on, for Hamas fighters, Hamas leadership to leave and I'm sure the Israelis have calculated this," said Bolton. 

Israel, however, is already facing criticism "that it's committing war crimes" in going after Hamas, so it will be important for the United States to continue to stand behind its ally. 

"The right of self-defense includes not just protecting against terrorist attacks," he said. "It means eliminating the threat and I think that's what the Israelis want to do. The European Union's chief foreign affairs official has already criticized the Israelis even before the attack has begun. So the political conflict internationally, the pressure on Israel, is going to be intense. I think they need strong American support."

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Sandy Fitzgerald

Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics. 

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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The Israelis will have to invade Gaza within a few days, the operation will be "very difficult and probably costly for both sides," and the United States should "be there" supporting the fight, as it won't be over quickly, former National Security Adviser...
john bolton, israel, gaza, hamas, invasion
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2023-29-13
Friday, 13 October 2023 02:29 PM
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