Netanyahu: War in the Gaza Strip demands "very high price"
The Israeli army had previously announced that 14 of its soldiers had been killed in the Gaza Strip since Friday. Ten of them were killed on Saturday - one of the highest numbers of soldiers killed in one day since the start of the Israeli ground operation in the Palestinian territory on October 27. According to Israeli figures, a total of 153 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
Netanyahu went on to say that it would be a "long war" until the radical Islamic Hamas was "eliminated". Israel would "continue with full force until the end, until victory, until we have achieved all our goals".
The war was triggered by Hamas' major attack on Israel on October 7. Hundreds of fighters from the Palestinian group, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, had infiltrated Israeli towns and committed atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli reports, around 1140 people were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Since then, Israel has been carrying out massive attacks in the Palestinian territory - with the declared aim of destroying Hamas. According to the latest figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 20,420 people have been killed so far.
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- The international community has been calling on both sides to cease the fighting and engage in dialogue to resolve the conflict, as the casualties continue to rise at an alarming rate in the Gaza Strip.
- Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip will come at a "very high price," warning that it would be a long and grueling battle until the radical Islamic group is eliminated.
- Protests and demonstrations erupted across Gaza on Sunday, with Palestinians demands for an end to the ongoing war and a return to peaceful negotiations.
- On the eve of a third day of intense fighting, Hamas leaders vowed to continue the fight against Israel and refused to back down, despite the "very high price" being paid by both its own people and civilians in Israel.
- The Israeli military has been accused of using disproportionate force in the Gaza Strip, with several international human rights groups calling for an independent investigation into allegations of war crimes.
- The United Nations, along with other world powers, have urged Netanyahu and Hamas leaders to find a political solution to the crisis, as the war in the Gaza Strip continues to take a heavy toll on innocent civilians on both sides.
- Amidst the calls for peace and an end to the violence, there is no sign of a diplomatic breakthrough, with Hamas leaders refusing to negotiate while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to demand a "very high price" for putting an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Source: www.stern.de
