Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is “intensifying” the war in Gaza and will continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated and Israelis taken hostage are returned.
Netanyahu addressed the video message in Hebrew to Israeli citizens, saying that while it will take time for the war to end, Israel will “fight to the end.”
“Israeli citizens, we are intensifying the war in Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “We will continue to fight until the complete defeat of Hamas. This is the only way we can bring back our abductees, eliminate Hamas and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.”
“It will take time, but we are united – the fighters (i.e. fighting soldiers), the people and the government. We are united and determined to fight to the end,” the Prime Minister continued.
“War has a price, a very high price for the lives of our heroic soldiers, and we do everything we can to preserve the lives of our soldiers. But one thing we will not do: we will not stop until we achieve victory,” Netanyahu concluded.
The Israeli military announced Sunday that 14 Israeli soldiers were killed over the weekend. Since the ground offensive began, 153 Israeli soldiers have been killed.
Hamas terrorists stormed communities in southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the war has devastated parts of Gaza and killed about 20,400 Palestinians.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.