AMN / WEB DESK
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told reporters that “Israel is fighting the enemies of civilization itself.” He rejected the idea of a cease-fire, backed by humanitarian groups and the United Nations General Assembly, among others, adding, “calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism.”
Asked about the civilian death toll in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes, Mr. Netanyahu said that “not a single civilian has to die,” and he accused Hamas of “preventing them from leaving the areas of conflict.” He spoke as Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive have killed more than 8,000 people in Gaza, according to the Gazan health ministry, controlled by Hamas.
He asked nations to back Israel in its fight against Hamas, saying “Israel’s fight is your fight.”
“The future of our civilization is at stake,” he said.
Mr. Netanyahu spoke on Monday while the Israeli military advanced deeper into the Gaza Strip on Monday, moving toward Gaza City from at least three sides as it continued battering the enclave with airstrikes.
The Israeli military yesterday signaled a heavier assault on Gaza and warned with increasing “urgency” that Palestinian civilians should move to the southern part of the coastal Gaza Strip.
The number of soldiers who had been sent into Gaza since Friday remained unclear. The Israeli military’s chief spokesman said that the country was “gradually expanding the ground activity and the scope of our forces,” and “progressing through the stages of the war according to plan.”