By:  World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday compared Hamas to the Islamic State terror group, and said Israel will defeat the Gaza ruling terror group in the same way ISIS was defeated.

“We always knew who Hamas is, now the entire world sees them for who they truly are. Hamas is ISIS, and we will defeat them just as the West defeated ISIS,” he declared during a televised address on the third day of the war with Hamas in Gaza.

Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s reluctant entry into the war.

“Israel is at war. It wasn’t a choice of ours; it was ruthlessly thrust upon us in such a savage way. While Israel didn’t start this conflict, we are determined to finish it,” Netanyahu said.

Reflecting on the historical vulnerabilities of the Jewish people, he said, “There was a time when the Jewish people were stateless and vulnerable. Those days are behind us.”

He projected a message of strength and warned of significant consequences for Hamas. “They will soon realize the monumental error in targeting us. The repercussions will resonate not just today but will be remembered for decades.”

Drawing on the broader implications of the conflict, he asserted, “In fighting Hamas, Israel defends not just its own citizens but those of every country that opposes barbarity. When Israel emerges victorious, it symbolizes a win for all civilized nations.”

The death toll has climbed to 900, a figure that is feared to escalate. Additionally, the number of injured stands at 2,616. More than 100 hostages are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

In related developments, it was reported on Monday by World Israel News that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back on claims his government had received advanced warning of Hamas’ invasion over the weekend and chose to ignore the warnings.

An Egyptian intelligence officer who spoke with The Associated Press said that Cairo had warned Israel about “something big” in the offing, adding that Jerusalem ignored the warning.

Instead, the officer said, Israeli officials focused their concerns on terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, rather than the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

“We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big. But they underestimated such warnings,” the official said.

Egyptian Intelligence Minister General Abbas Kamel is said to have called Netanyahu ten days before the attack to warn him that Gaza terrorists were planning to do “something unusual, a terrible operation,” Yediot Aharonoth reported.

Netanyahu denied the claim, issuing a statement via the Prime Minister’s Office Monday evening.

The prime minister called the AP report “fake news,” denying Israel had received any intelligence information from Egypt on the matter.

“The report to the effect that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a message in advance from Egypt is absolutely false.”

“No message in advance has arrived from Egypt and the Prime Minister has neither spoken, nor met, with the head of Egyptian intelligence since the formation of the government, neither directly nor indirectly. This is totally fake news.”

Former Israeli national security adviser Yaakov Amidror, who served under Netanyahu, said Israel had been blindsided by the attack, attributing it to a “major failure” of Israeli intelligence.