Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas “will not happen”, as ground forces fought inside Gaza and air strikes pounded the besieged Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu spoke to foreign press after telling his war cabinet Israeli forces were making “systematic progress” against Hamas in response to the October 7 attacks – the deadliest in the country’s history.
Israel’s intensifying military operations have sharply heightened fears for the 2.4 million inhabitants of Gaza, where the Hamas-controlled health ministry says more than 8,300 have been killed.
Netanyahu told the press briefing a ceasefire would amount to surrendering to Hamas, whose gunmen killed 1,400 people and took more than 230 hostages, according to the latest Israeli figures.
Palestinians in northern Gaza reported fierce air and artillery strikes early on Monday as Israeli troops backed by tanks pressed into the enclave with a ground assault that prompted more international calls for civilians to be protected.
Israel’s military said it had struck over 600 militant targets over the past few days as it continued to expand ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian civilians are in dire need of fuel, food and clean water as the conflict enters its fourth week.
