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26-12-2023
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Gaza war has come at a “very heavy price” for his side.
The military says more than a dozen soldiers have been killed in the territory since Friday, bringing the total of the ground assault to 154.
Saturday was one of its deadliest days but the Israeli PM there was “no choice” but to keep fighting.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says 70 people were killed in a strike on a refugee camp on Sunday.
More than 20,000 people have been killed mostly women and children, and 54,000 injured in Gaza since 7 October, the ministry says.
Remarking on the latest Israeli troop deaths, Netanyahu said: “This is a difficult morning, after a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza” but he said his forces would continue with “full force until the end”, reiterating his goals of eliminating Hamas and ensuring the safe return of hostages held in Gaza.
“Let it be clear: this will be a long war,” the Israeli prime minister added.
The military’s 154th death was announced later that day: tank commander Maj Aryeh Rein.
In a separate statement, the military said it had killed more than 8,000 Palestinian fighters during its campaign to date in remarks quoted by the Reuters news agency.
The Israeli operation began after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
Israel insists that it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties, and blames Hamas for embedding itself in densely-populated areas.
US President Joe Biden, a key ally of Netanyahu emphasized the “critical need” to protect civilian lives during a call with the Israeli prime minister on Saturday, the White House said.
Biden told reporters that he had not asked for a ceasefire in the call, both men believe such a move would benefit Hamas.
On Friday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution demanding large-scale aid deliveries to Gaza but this, too, stopped short of calling for a ceasefire between the two warring sides.
Talks held in Egypt earlier this week designed to secure a fresh truce between Israel and Hamas have so far failed to deliver results.
A Palestinian official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told media that Egypt presented a new three-stage plan that would begin with a two-week humanitarian truce which could be extended during which Hamas release 40 hostages and Israel would release 120 Palestinian prisoners. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
