Occupied Al-Quds: Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced his country was entering “the second stage” of what was likely to be a long and difficult war against Hamas.
In a televised press conference Netanyahu told Israelis: “We have unanimously approved the widening of the ground invasion … Our objective is singular: to defeat the murderous enemy. We declared ‘never again’, and we reiterate: ‘never again, now’.”
Describing the expanding war as Israel’s “second war of independence” Netanyahu continued: “In the initial weeks of the war, we launched massive airstrikes that dealt a severe blow to the enemy.
“We eliminated many terrorists. However, we are only at the beginning. The battle within the Gaza Strip will be difficult and long; this is our second war of independence.”
As 2.3 million Palestinians in the blockaded coastal strip braced themselves for a second night of sharply escalating Israeli military operations, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said that the campaign against the Islamist militant group Hamas would continue until a new order was given.
Some civilians used their bare hands to pull injured people from the rubble, loading them into cars or donkey carts to rush them to the hospital.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza after hundreds of fighters from Hamas crossed the Israeli border in vehicles, by air and sea on 7 October, indiscriminately killing civilians in the streets, their homes and at an outdoor rave.
