Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to continue military operations in Gaza and emphasised that Israel must keep fighting to ensure its survival, despite increasing opposition, according to a report by CNN.
In a pre-recorded video Saturday night, Netanyahu said Israel has "no choice" but to keep fighting "for our very own existence until victory."
Netanyahu urged "perseverance and resilience" in defeating Hamas and rescuing the 59 hostages still held in Gaza.
Netanyahu cited Hamas' refusal of a recent Israeli ceasefire proposal as a reason Israel will continue its bombardment of Gaza. Israel's proposal called for the disarmament of Gaza and did not include a permanent end to the war, both of which have been red lines for Hamas, CNN reported.
"If we surrender to Hamas's demands now, all the tremendous achievements gained by our soldiers, our fallen, and our wounded heroes--those achievements will simply be lost," Israeli PM said.
Meanwhile, the Hostage Families Forum Headquarters criticised Netanyahu's latest address, accusing him of lacking a clear "plan" for securing the release of hostages.
"Many words and slogans will not succeed in hiding the simple truth -- Netanyahu has no plan. It's no surprise there was no time for questions -- otherwise, he would have had to answer the most basic one: What exactly is the State of Israel doing to immediately bring back all 59 hostages," the forum said.
Earlier, Israeli soldiers had signed a letter calling for an end to the war in Gaza and speeding up negotiations for the return of native captives from the war-torn territory.
Earlier this week, Al Jazeera cited Israeli Army Radio as stating that a group of 150 Golani Brigade members have joined the call to end the war, adding their names to thousands of others in a sign of dissent that has alarmed the Israeli government.
Several petitions have been circulating within the Israeli military since last week. The first was signed by 1,000 Israeli Air Force reserves and was followed by others circulated among veterans and officers serving within the armoured corps, navy and other military units.
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