DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back Saturday against growing international calls for a cease-fire, saying Israel’s battle to crush Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorists will continue with “full force.”
A cease-fire would be possible only if all 239 hostages held by terrorists in Gaza are released, Mr. Netanyahu said in a televised address.
The Israeli leader also insisted that after the war, now entering its sixth week, Gaza would be demilitarized and Israel would retain security control there. Asked what he meant by security control, Mr. Netanyahu said Israeli forces must be able to enter Gaza freely to hunt down terrorists.
He also rejected the idea that the Palestinian Authority, which currently administers autonomous areas in the West Bank, would at some stage control Gaza. Both positions run counter to post-war scenarios floated by Israel’s closest ally, the United States. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the United States opposes an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza and envisions a unified Palestinian government in both Gaza and the West Bank at some stage as a step toward Palestinian statehood.
For now, Mr. Netanyahu said, “the war against [Hamas] is advancing with full force, and it has one goal, to win. There is no alternative to victory.”
