Speaking in a pre-recorded address on Saturday evening, broadcast shortly after Shabbat ended, Netanyahu said he would not end the war before destroying Hamas, freeing hostages, and ensuring “Israel’s very existence, until victory.”
Netanyahu’s address comes amid growing political pressure and criticism from families of hostages who believe he has not done enough to bring their loved ones home.
In his statement, he claimed that Hamas has rejected Israel’s latest proposal to free half the hostages for a continued ceasefire. Egyptian mediators have since been working to restore the ceasefire, which Israel abandoned last month.
Children and women were among the 15 people killed overnight, according to hospital staff.
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on Gaza on April 19 (Photo: Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty)Mourners cradled and kissed the faces of the dead. A man stroked a child’s forehead with his finger before body bags were closed.
Four other people were killed in strikes in Rafah city, including a mother and her daughter, according to the European Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
Israel’s military in a statement said it killed more than 40 militants over the weekend. Separately, it said a soldier was killed Saturday in northern Gaza and confirmed it was the first soldier death since Israel resumed the war on March 18.
Israel has also blockaded Gaza for the past six weeks, again barring the entry of food and other goods.
People take part in a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv (Photo: Ariel Schalit/AP)Israeli police intervene in the protesters outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem (Photo: Saeed Qaq/Anadolu via Getty)On Friday, the head of the World Health Organisation’s eastern Mediterranean office, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, urged the new U.S. ambassador in Israel, Mike Huckabee, to push the country to lift Gaza’s blockade so medicines and other aid can enter.
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“I would wish for him to go in and see the situation firsthand,” she said.
Israel’s offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Frustration has been growing on both sides, with rare public protests against Hamas in Gaza and continued weekly rallies in Israel pressing the government to reach a deal to bring all hostages home.
Additional reporting from the Associated Press.
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