Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference on Thursday, during which he clarified that Israel has no intention of stopping the war against Hamas in Gaza until the terror organization is eradicated.
"Contrary to what they say, the war continues on all fronts, and the war will continue on all fronts until we reach all of our goals - we will destroy the evil of Hamas," Netanyahu stated.
He added, "In the past 48 hours our troops have been fighting fierce battles in Gaza and have eliminated hundreds of terrorists. We destroyed a giant facility for manufacturing rockets, and it's not the only one. The war continues on all fronts and will continue until we reach all of our goals.
"Victory will take additional long months, but we are bent on obtaining it. We strive for a total victory," the Prime Minister declared.
He noted: "While our soldiers are sacrificing their lives to complete the victory against Hamas, I hear that there are those in the news studios who claim that it is impossible to win and others who are trying to weaken them. I reject this outright, Israel under my leadership will not allow anything less than victory over Hamas. Stopping the war before reaching its goals will harm Israeli security for generations.
"Total victory requires the elimination of Hamas's leaders, the annihilation of Hamas, the return of the hostages, the disarming of Gaza, and Israeli control over everything that enters the Gaza Strip - those are our basic conditions for the day after. I wish to emphasize: the day after is the day after the elimination of Hamas, and it will be achieved when we stay unified."
He affirmed: "I pledge, for the sake of our troops, the bereaved families, and the families of the hostages, we will not stop and we will not finish the war before total victory and the return of our loved ones."