In a televised address, Netanyahu said the attacks were continuing at “full force” and would “take time.“ Israel “wants to levy a heavy price” on the Hamas militant group, he said, flanked by his defense minister and political rival,
Benny Gantz, in a show of unity. The Israeli air assault early Sunday was the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Israel and Hamas nearly a week ago, marking the worst fighting since the devastating 2014 war in Gaza (The Associated Press).
Netanyahu defended Israel’s decision to destroy a 12-story building in Gaza occupied for 15 years by The Associated Press bureau as well as Al Jazeera and other news media, claiming the United States shared intelligence showing that Hamas operated in the same building. When asked to verify any such intelligence sharing, the Biden administration told The Intercept, “No comment.”
Israel-Gaza violence: Calls to protect civilians as conflict endures
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media captionIsraeli air strikes bombard Gaza Strip
The UN, US and UK have called for more protection for the civilians caught in intense violence between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Footage of children being pulled from the rubble in Gaza and people running for shelter in Israel have sparked international alarm.
The conflict is now in its second week, with little sign of a ceasefire.
More than 200 people, including 59 children, have died in Gaza, and 10, including two children, in Israel.
Israel says most of those killed in Gaza are militants and that any civilian deaths are unintentional.
Middle East seeks a mediator as Israel strikes Gaza
The latest round of violence in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is dragging on with no sign of a ceasefire. International leaders have called for peace negotiations, but who would lead them?
On Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wouldn t rush to seek a ceasefire
As violence continues into a second week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to the fighting. But any ceasefire would be short-lived unless it were combined with broader negotiations. The question is which international body or government could take the lead role in such talks.
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