Netanyahu rules out ceasefire, says no plans to occupy Gaza
WASHINGTON (MNP) – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out a ceasefire in Gaza on Thursday, saying the military was performing “exceptionally well,” but insisted Israel does not plan to reoccupy the Palestinian territory.
“No. The fighting continues against the Hamas enemy, the Hamas terrorists, but in specific locations for a given period of a few hours here or a few hours there, we want to facilitate the safe passage of civilians away from the zone of fight and we’re doing that,” he told Fox News.
On the ground in northern Gaza, there were no reports of a lull in fighting. Each side reported inflicting heavy casualties on the other in intense street battles.
“A ceasefire with Hamas means surrender,” he said, adding there was no “timetable” for the military offensive.
“I think the Israeli army is performing exceptionally well,” he added.
“However long it takes, we’ll do it.”
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the militant group poured across the border from Gaza on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians and taking around 240 people hostage, according to Israel.
The retaliatory aerial bombing and ground offensive has killed more than 10,800 people in Gaza, mostly civilians and many of them children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
