Netanyahu vows no let-up in war against Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep up the fight against Hamas terrorists while Palestinians have mourned more than 100 people who Gaza health officials say were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Netanyahu visited Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip just hours after one of the besieged enclave’s deadliest nights in the 11-week-old battle between Israel and Hamas.
Retaliating against Hamas for its deadly October 7 cross-border rampage, Israel has been under pressure from its closest ally, the United States, to shift operations in Gaza to a lower-intensity phase and reduce civilian deaths.
But Netanyahu told parliamentarians from his Likud party that the war was far from over and dismissed what he cast as media speculation his government might call a halt to the fighting.
He said Israel would not succeed in freeing its remaining hostages without applying military pressure.
“We are not stopping. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less,” Netanyahu, who has defied international calls for a ceasefire, said during the Gaza visit.
עם הלוחמים הגיבורים שלנו בעזה — נלחמים עד לניצחון! pic.twitter.com/Z0Qnemk6VA
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 25, 2023
Video translation:
I’m here in the north of the strip with you and I’m extraordinarily impressed.
I said earlier to you commanders, and to you, that as reservists and fighters we are proud of you and are relying on you.
We see your determination and your will to continue until the end.
So I have two things to tell you.
Firstly, we will do everything we can to look after your security and protect your lives. We want to achieve our objectice but we want to protect you as best we can. That’s the first and most important thing.
Secondly, we are not stopping. Anyone who talks about stopping – we won’t. We’re not stopping the war will continue until the end. Until we finish them, not before.
