Netanyahu says Israel will control all of Gaza by end of offensive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that all of the Gaza Strip would be under Israeli control by the end of its ongoing, intensified offensive in the Palestinian territory.

"All of the Gaza Strip will be under the Israeli army's control" by the end of the current operation, Netanyahu said at a presser in Jerusalem. He added that "we must avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action", as pressure mounted on Israel to allow aid into war-battered Gaza.