Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israel is “deepening” the war in the Gaza Strip and will continue to fight until Hamas is eliminated and the Israelis taken hostage are returned.
Netanyahu, speaking in Hebrew, addressed the video message to Israeli citizens, saying that while it will take time to bring the war to a conclusion, Israel will “fight to the end.”
“Israeli citizens, we are deepening the war in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said. “We will continue to fight until the complete victory over Hamas. This is the only way to return our abductees, eliminate Hamas and ensure that Gaza will no longer be 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 heavy price in the lives of our heroic soldiers, and we do everything to preserve the lives of our soldiers. But one thing will not be done – we will not stop until we achieve victory,” Netanyahu concluded.
The Israeli military on Sunday announced that 14 Israeli soldiers were killed over the weekend. Since the ground offensive began, 153 Israeli troops have been killed.
Hamas terrorists stormed communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking 240 hostage. The war has devastated parts of Gaza, killing roughly 20,400 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
