Netanyahu says war to last for ‘months’ – DW – 12/31/2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war against Hamas will continue for “months.”

“The war is at its height,” Netanyahu told reporters. He said Israel’s offensive in the territory will last “for many more months.”

Netanyahu said Israeli forces had “eliminated over 8,000 terrorists” in the war.

“We are continuing to fight until the goals of the war have been achieved, especially the elimination of Hamas and release of all our hostages,” the Israeli leader said.

“We will ensure that Gaza no longer constitutes a threat to Israel,” he added.

Netanyahu said Israel seeks to control the Philadelphi Corridor buffer zone along the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.

“It must be shut,” Netanyahu said. “It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarization that we seek.”

The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, when the militant-Islamist group attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 240 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, Germany, and other countries.

Israel responded with widespread airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Palestinian territory.

According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 21,672 have been killed in the Israeli offensive. The ministry’s figures are seen as broadly reliable by the UN and other international organizations, although they do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.