Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would continue to fight in Gaza, despite mounting international pressure for a ceasefire.
The Prime Minister said, “We will continue until the end. There is no question at all. I say this in light of great pain, but also in light of international pressure. Nothing will stop us. We are going until the end, until victory, nothing less than that”.
Netanyahu’s statement came a day after the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution on Tuesday demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages.
Meanwhile, Israel has announced that its army suffered one of the deadliest attacks since the ground operation began in Gaza, with nine soldiers killed during an ambush by Hamas.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
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Following a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a ceasefire and US President Joe Biden’s “indiscriminate bombing remark,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army’s assault in Gaza will continue despite international pressure.
“We need to complete this mission. The crushing victory over Hamas will provide many advantages, as well as considerable deterrent power and persuasive power – also regarding the rest of the world sitting up in the stands. They are all sitting there, wanting to see who will win. It’s that simple: In the end they want to see who will win, us or them,” Netanyahu said as he visited a military facility.
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Intense fighting between Hamas and Israeli soldiers was under way in both north and south Gaza as the Israel Defence Force pushed further. The IDF reported 10 of its soldiers killed in the past 24 hours, including a full colonel commanding a forward base and a lieutenant-colonel commanding a regiment. It was the worst one-day loss since 15 soldiers were killed on October 31.
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The Joe Biden administration in the United States is delaying the sale of more than 20,000 US-made rifles to Israel over concerns about attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, news agency Reuters reported quoting two sources familiar with the matter.
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The US national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to visit Israel this week and will conduct “extremely serious conversations” with Israeli officials, also on the civilian casualties, the White House said. Sullivan met Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and discussed the Gaza conflict and other regional issues.
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Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address that any arrangement in Gaza without Hamas is a “delusion”.
“We are open to discuss any ideas or initiatives that could end the (Israeli) aggression and open the door for putting the Palestinian house in order both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” Haniyeh said.
Benjamin Netanyahu had announced that Israel would retain an open-ended security presence in Gaza after the war.
