Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses his cabinet on December 24, 2023 REUTERS/Ohad Zwigenberg
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promising to continue a military offensive in Gaza, saying "we have no choice but to continue fighting." Netanyahu met with his cabinet on Sunday, admitting that "the war exacts a very heavy price from us" but stressing that "we are continuing with all the force, until the end, until victory."
The Israeli leader also responded to reports that the U.S. convinced his government to reconsider its strategy. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. president Joe Biden urged Netanyahu to scrap plans for an airstrike on Hezbollah militants just days after the conflict in Gaza began. "Israel is a sovereign state," said Netanyahu. "Our decisions in the war are based on our operational considerations."
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023 REUTERS/Miriam Alster
It has been a dark weekend for both sides in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Gaza's health ministry marked a sobering milestone on Saturday, saying the Palestinian death toll had climbed above 20,250 in just 11 weeks. Meanwhile, Israel's military reported that 14 of its soldiers died as it continued its ground offensive on Friday and Saturday. 153 Israeli troops have been killed over the last two months.
The military said on Saturday it was expanding its operations in northern and southern Gaza. It believes many Hamas leaders are hiding in Khan Younis in the south. Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said troops were fighting in "complex areas" of the city.
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But there are complexities on other fronts as well. Hamas says its fighters shelled Israeli troops in Jabaliya on Sunday. Israel had claimed that it was in control of the area, which is north of Gaza City. Reports now point to heavy gunfire and bombing, with Israeli warplanes flying overhead.
Protesters demonstrate against Israel's government in Tel Aviv on December 23, 2023 REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Israel's leaders are also facing pressure from their own citizens. Thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, chanting "Bibi, Bibi, we don't want you anymore" in an apparent call for Netanyahu's resignation.
The prime minister has pledged to answer questions about his performance when the fighting is over. But he has also dismissed suggestions that he should quit, saying last month that he would "resign Hamas to the dustbin of history."
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