By EFE
Dec 25, 2023, 2:35 PM EST
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern Gaza Strip on Monday and told troops that the war against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas will continue “to the end.”
“Don’t stop. The war continues until the end. Until they finish, nothing less than that,” Netanyahu said in a veiled reference to Egypt’s proposal for a two-week ceasefire, which both Israel and Hamas appear to have rejected.
Hamas conditions any new hostage-for-prisoner exchange agreement on a permanent ceasefire, an option that Israel rejects because it is determined to continue the war until the Islamist group is destroyed.
Neyanyahu “impressed” by Israeli munitions
Netanyahu was briefed on the amount of ammunition, weaponry and tunnel openings by troops from the 261st Brigade, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“I am here with you in the northern Gaza Strip and I am unusually impressed (…) We are proud of you and we trust you. We see the determination and the desire to continue until the end,” he indicated.
Netanyahu’s visit inside the enclave, the second since the war began, coincides with the eightieth day of fighting and with the first message from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who stated that this is a “ferocious, violent and unprecedented battle.” ” against Israel.
Intense Israeli shelling in two and a half months of offensive has claimed the lives of at least 20,674 Gazans – 70% including more than 8,000 children – and injured more than 54,536; in addition to 7,500 bodies believed to remain trapped under the rubble, according to the latest count by the Strip’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.