Israel won’t agree to ceasefire as military operations set to ‘escalate’ – PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated his country will not agree to a ceasefire, as he likened putting Israel’s military action on hold to surrender to Hamas and terrorism.

Tel Aviv started launching a retaliatory campaign of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, where Hamas militants are based among 2.1 million civilians, after members of the terror group carried out an unprecedented and devastating terror attack on Israel on October 7.

Last week, Israel started penetrating the Gaza territory with tanks and armoured vehicles to carry out a number of targeted raids against suspected Hamas positions, and a video circulating on Monday suggests the ground assault operation within the Strip is intensifying.

The death toll resulting from the military campaign is more than 8,000 people, according to the Gazan health ministry, and has brought several individuals and international organisations to call for a ceasefire.

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all civilians, the protection of civilians and international institutions, and the safe passage of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

In the aftermath of the vote, Israel was joined by the US in rejecting calls for a stop to the military action.

Equating once again the deadly attack carried out by Hamas with Al Qaeda’s strike at the heart of the US in 2001, Mr Netanyahu said on Monday that Tel Aviv won’t stop its fight “just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbour or the terrorist attack of 9/11”.

In a press conference alongside Israel’s chief military spokesperson, the Israeli Prime Minister said the war had not been started nor wanted by his country. He said: “Israel did not start this war. Israel did not want this war. But Israel will win this war.”

Referring to the harrowing actions undertaken by Hamas terrorists on October 7, which killed at least 1,400 people, Mr Netanyahu condemned the group members as “barbarians” who tried to destroy the “promise” of Israel’s future.

Militants part of the terror groups “raped women” and “beheaded men” during their multi-pronged attack, Mr Netanyahu added.

Seemingly hitting out at criticism raised at Tel Aviv for the civilian victims in Gaza, the politician added a distinction should be made between Hamas’ “deliberate targeting” of civilians and the “unintentional” casualties of Israel’s strikes in response.

He also claimed Israel was “going out of our way” not to kill civilians during the air raids in Gaza, while Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields and keeps them in harm’s way.

Mr Netanyahu added: “Even the most just wars have unintended civilian casualties”.

During the same press conference, which Mr Netanyahu ended by saying this conflict is “for a common future” and is drawing a line “between the forces of civilisation and the forces of barbarism”, the military spokesperson warned the operations in Gaza are set to “escalate”.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defence Minister, said earlier today the war will continue “until we reach a decisive and absolute victory in the south”.