The war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza will continue for “several more months,” the head of the Israeli army said.
“There is no magic solution,” Herzi Halevi told reporters. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the campaign is “not over yet. ” Israel said it attacked more than 100 locations on Tuesday.
It appears to be expanding its ground operations into central Gaza. Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says 20,915 Palestinians have been killed in more than 11 weeks of fighting.
The war began on October 7 after Hamas carried out a wave of deadly attacks targeting communities in Israel.
Since then, about 1. 9 million people have been displaced by Israeli bombing, according to the United Nations.
Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unwra), told the BBC: “We are seeing very worrying reports of famine in some places, while there is war.
The fighting continues, displacement continues and the UN shelters are overcrowded and overwhelmed. ” ” Last week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on Israel to reduce the intensity of its attacks to limit “harm to civilians”.
On Tuesday, Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), told a news conference that the war would “continue for several more months” to ensure that “our interests are protected” over a long period of time”. He added.
“There is no shortcut to completely destroy a terrorist organization, other than being stubborn and determined to fight.
” The Israeli military said Tuesday’s airstrikes hit 100 targets, from Jabaliya in northern Gaza to Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south.
He reportedly launched a ground attack on refugee camps in central Gaza after ordering residents to evacuate.
Internet and phone services were again cut across the Gaza Strip. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the October 7 attack.
About 240 people were sent back to Gaza as hostages. Israel said 132 people remained detained.
On Monday, Netanyahu told parliament: “We will not be able to release all the abductees without military pressure. we will not stop fighting.
” Israeli and Arab media said Egypt has proposed a ceasefire plan.
The plan reportedly calls for the gradual release of all Israeli hostages and an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, ending with Israel calling off the offensive.
A previous temporary ceasefire negotiated by Qatar allowed the release of dozens of hostages from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel and Hamas have so far resisted calls for a permanent ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is in Washington to hold talks with Mr. Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the discussions would focus on “issues related to the conflict in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas. ”