At no stage did we say war over: Netanyahu

Wednesday, 13 August 2014

At no stage did we say war over: Netanyahu

Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:39PM GMT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to press ahead with its deadly offensive in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday that the Israeli aerial and ground forces will launch more deadly attacks on the besieged Palestinian coastal enclave.

“Operation Protective Edge is continuing, at no stage did we say it was over. The operation will continue until we achieve our objectives – the return of quiet for a prolonged period,” Netanyahu said.

Israel’s Minister of Communications has also said that Tel Aviv has no other choice but to reoccupy Gaza and topple Hamas.

Israeli right- wing Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has also hailed the Gaza offensive as a success.

“There is no doubt that the only thing left to do now is to overpower Hamas, clean out the territory and get out as quickly as possible,” Lieberman said.

The remarks come as a recent poll shows most Israelis’ view corresponds with that of the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, which says Tel Aviv failed to achieve its goals in its bloody attacks.

The rising death toll of Israeli forces during the attacks on Gaza had prompted growing opposition to the war among the Israeli public.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has also said that his regime won’t engage in negotiations with Hamas to end its offensive in Gaza.

Palestinian negotiators in Cairo have threatened to leave the city unless Israel agrees to return to the negotiations within the next 24 hours.

Hamas is calling for lifting of a seven-year siege on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip began on July 8. According to Palestinian health officials, the overall Palestinian death toll from the brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has reached 1,918, with most of the fatalities being civilians. Nearly 10,000 others have been wounded in the attacks.

Palestinian authorities are pushing for a war crimes case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel due to the Zionist regime’s brutal aggression on the besieged region.