Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it very clear Tuesday in his first remarks since a major Israeli assault was unleashed on the Gaza Strip within 24 hours prior that the country has returned to full-on war against Hamas in Gaza.
He insisted in a televised address from Tel Aviv that Israel "will continue to fight" until all of its war goals are achieved, which includes the return of all remaining captives and the final destruction of Hamas. He further stressed that under his leadership Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel.
He declared that any negotiations on restoring the ceasefire will continue "only under fire." Thus he strongly pointed to the war's indefinite continuation, after the two-month temporary truce which is now completely shattered.
This has sparked large protests in the Israeli capital and Jerusalem by advocates of the remaining victims, led by their families. Addressing them, Netanyahu said, "My heart, all of our hearts, are with the hostages and their families."
"They are going through an inhuman nightmare every day, every minute," he said, stressing he'll continue to work tirelessly for their return. However he rejected as "lies" that he sabotaged the peace process for political reasons.
Netanyahu also blasted the media, saying "They have no shame, they have no red lines, and that his critics "simply echo Hamas’s propaganda time and time again."
He then made clear:
"So I want to say to Hamas — don’t rely on this. Because nothing will stop us from achieving all the goals of the war."
"This is just the beginning," the Israeli leader then said in his characteristic unapologetic and fiery fashion. He also expressed appreciation in the comments for US military help against the Houthis of Yemen.
Earlier in the day the Houthis launched a ballistic missile against southern Israel, with no reports of injuries on the ground.
Gaza health authorities have meanwhile said the dead are already in the hundreds, with local hospitals describing it feels like 'Armageddon' once again.
The White House has said it was aware that Israeli was gearing up for another round of military attacks, and that it's given a greenlight to the Israeli strikes. This comes after Trump for weeks floated a controversial plan to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, which international groups have condemned as ethnic cleansing.
