Netanyahu Affirms Israel Will Not Stop Attacks On Gaza Now

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (X @netanyahu)

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu insists he will not stop the war in Gaza now amid new efforts towards an ongoing ceasefire.

"If we end the war now, Hamas will return, recover, rebuild, and attack us again and that's what we don't want to do anymore," Netanyahu told a news conference in Jerusalem in 14 months after the war against Hamas, Monday, December 9, quoted by AFP.

Netanyahu reiterated his decision to destroy, remove Hamas' military and administrative capabilities to prevent future attacks. According to him, Israel's goal has not been completed.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had 'succeeded to dismantle Hamas military capacity' and eliminate its senior leadership.

With this success, he said, it was time to repatriate the hostages and end the war. "With an understanding of what will happen next," Blinken said on October 23.

In recent days, signs of ceasefire negotiations have emerged again and the release of hostages who failed and have been around for months.