After announcing that the battle would likely intensify, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas must be annihilated, the region must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be “deradicalized” for peace to be reached in Gaza.
The announcements coincided with the World Health Organization’s Monday revelation of “harrowing” tales of whole families being killed in strikes on a Gaza refugee camp on Christmas Eve.
Due to Israel’s constant attacks, the conflict has increased tensions throughout the Middle East and devastated Palestinian territory. As a result, calls for a ceasefire are becoming more widespread worldwide.
However, Netanyahu vowed to stick with the plan in an opinion piece that was published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday night.
“Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised, and Palestinian society must be deradicalised. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours in Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
He said demilitarisation “will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter” of the territory.
“For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza,” he said.
Earlier on Monday Netanyahu visited Gaza, telling a meeting of his Likud party after his return: “We’re not stopping”.
“We’re intensifying the fighting in the coming days,” he said, according to a party statement.
