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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to bring all the hostages home and eradicate Hamas at a news conference.
“I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals,” Netanyahu said.
He added he had delivered the same message in a phone call to US President Joe Biden.
Israel’s War Cabinet had approved a deal earlier in the day with Palestinian militant-Islamist group Hamas to secure the release of some 50 hostages and a four-day cease-fire.
The deal would also allow humanitarian aid and fuel into the besieged Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said the Red Cross will be allowed to visit and offer medical services to hostages that remain in Gaza after some of them are returned.
The Israeli prime minister said he had instructed the Mossad spy agency to hunt down Hamas’ exiled leadership “wherever they are.” Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the EU, US, Germany and others.
Gallant said he was torn over the idea of leaving some people behind but said Israel was committed to bringing all hostages home.
“I can tell you that I, the IDF, the ISA, and the entire security establishment are very much determined to follow through with this war until we achieve all the goals: to obliterate Hamas as a government and as a military organization and to free all the hostages,” Gallant said.
rm/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)
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