Fighting in Gaza will be 'long and difficult': Netanyahu
Netanyahu says fighting in Gaza will be 'long and difficult'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that Israel's war on Hamas would be "long and difficult", after the army expanded ground operations inside the besieged Gaza Strip.
"The war in the (Gaza) Strip will be long and difficult and we are prepared for it," Netanyahu told a news conference after meeting families of hostages held in Gaza since shock Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7.
His comments came after Israeli ground troops entered Gaza under cover of a massive air and artillery barrage on Friday evening, opening a new phase in Israel's campaign.
"This is the second stage of a war whose goals are clear: destroy the military and leadership capabilities of Hamas, and bring the hostages back home," Netanyahu said.
"We made the decision to expand ground operations unanimously."
Israel steps up ground, air assault
Gaza was largely cut off from the outside world yesterday as Israel rained more bombs from the air and suggested its long-promised ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave was underway.
Israel said troops sent in on Friday night were still in the field whereas previously it had made only brief sorties during three weeks of bombing of Gaza.
"We attacked above the ground and under ground, we attacked terror operatives of all ranks, everywhere," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video statement.
'Anxiety' racks Israeli hostage families as army assaults Gaza
The families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip have been racked with worry for their loved ones since the military stepped up ground assaults inside the Palestinian territory, a group lobbying for the families said on Saturday.
"This night was the most terrible of all nights ... against the backdrop of the major IDF (Israel Defense Forces) operation in the Strip," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
It said that the hostages being held by Hamas were being subjected to the same heavy bombardment as Palestinian residents and that their families were racked with "anxiety, frustration" that Israel's long-awaited ground invasion will put them in more danger.
Israeli strikes destroy 'hundreds' of Gaza buildings: rescuers
Israel's army relentlessly hammered Gaza on Saturday after fierce overnight bombardment that rescuers said destroyed hundreds of buildings three weeks into a war sparked by the deadliest attack in the country's history.
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Israel to halt the attacks, while the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas said they had been snubbed by the government when asking about their fate.
War deaths hit 7,703: Hamas health ministry
The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Saturday that at least 7,703 people have been killed in the war with Israel that erupted on October 7.
More than 3,500 children were among the dead, the ministry added.
The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel has caused the highest number of fatalities in Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew from the territory in 2005.
Israeli strikes destroy 'hundreds' of Gaza buildings: rescuers
Israel's army relentlessly hammered Gaza on Saturday after a night of fierce bombardment that rescuers said destroyed hundreds of buildings three weeks into a war sparked by the deadliest attack in the country's history.
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Israel to "immediately stop" the attacks, while the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas demanded a government explanation about their fate amid the army's intensified air and artillery strikes.
Turkey's Erdogan urges Israel to stop 'madness', end Gaza strikes
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called on Israel to "immediately stop this madness" and end its "attacks" on targets in Gaza after Israeli forces intensified strikes on the Palestinian territory.
"The Israeli bombardments on Gaza intensified last night and once again targeted women, children and innocent civilians and worsened the ongoing humanitarian crisis," Erdogan said on X, formerly Twitter.
"Israel must immediately stop this madness and end its attacks."
Hamas vows 'full force'; Israel says troops still on the ground in Gaza
Hamas pledged to confront Israeli attacks with "full force" after Israel's military widened its air and ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave, suggesting on Saturday that a long promised ground offensive had begun.
Israel said on Saturday morning its troops, sent in on Friday night, were still on the ground. The country had earlier made only brief sorties into Gaza during three weeks of bombardment to root out Hamas militants who killed more than 1,000 Israelis on Oct. 7.
Israeli hostage families demand government explanation of Gaza strikes
Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza on Saturday demanded an immediate government explanation about the fate of the captives after the army intensified strikes on the Palestinian territory.
The main group representing some 229 people believed abducted in the October 7 attacks by Hamas sought an immediate meeting with ministers.
Israeli warplanes hit 150 'underground targets' in Gaza: army
Israeli fighter jets struck 150 "underground targets" in northern Gaza during an intense night of raids, the army said Saturday, three weeks after the deadliest attack in the country's history.
A military statement said the sites hit included "terror tunnels, underground combat spaces and additional underground infrastructure. Furthermore, several Hamas terrorists were killed."
Ground battles rage in Gaza after Israel escalates bombing
Battles raged in Gaza on Saturday as Israel's army said it expanded ground operations after intensifying its bombardment of the Palestinian territory three weeks after the deadliest attack in the country's history.
The United Nations warned of a looming "unprecedented avalanche of human suffering" inside the Gaza Strip, after weeks of relentless Israeli bombing, while the General Assembly called for an "immediate humanitarian truce".
US, China agree to work toward an expected Biden-Xi summit
The US and China have agreed to work together toward an expected summit between presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping next month, US officials said on Friday, following hours of meetings between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and senior US diplomats in Washington.
In the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister to Washington since 2018, veteran diplomat Wang Yi also met Biden for an hour, talks that the White House described as a "good opportunity" in keeping lines of communication open between the two geopolitical rivals with deep policy differences.
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