This week, Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza's largest city, destroying

high rises and telling people there to evacuate to the south.

For more, Nick Schifrin speaks with Israel's top diplomat in Washington.

To discuss Israel's operation in Gaza's city, as well as Israel's long-term plans for Gaza and the West Bank,

as well as the recent strike.

In Doha, Qatar, I'm joined by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter.

Ambassador Leiter, thanks very much.

Welcome back to the news hour.

Let's start in Gaza City.

The IDF announced this week the beginning of the second phase of an operation it describes as designed

to take over the city and defeat Hamas. What do you define as victory in this operation?

The long-term final day or day after Hamas in Gaza is exactly that, a Gaza that's free of

Hamas. We don't have a war with the people of Gaza.

We have a war with Hamas, and we believe that we need to defeat Hamas permanently.

And we're actually standing on five points, ultimately.

Number one, that Hamas is defeated and disarmed.

That Gaza is demilitarized, that our hostages, our hostages, all of them, the dead and the alive,

are home.

And number four, that Israel's security ultimately remains in Israel's hands and nobody else's.

And number five, that Gaza be rebuilt by an international consortium of countries that are interested

in seeing Gaza be reconstituted as a civil society and not as a terrorist infrastructure.

In February 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said about a pending assault on Rafa, quote, total victory is within reach, not months away, weeks away, once we begin the operation.

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