FLASH
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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that his country's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip would continue for "many more months", defying ongoing international calls for a cease-fire after the massive civilian toll. killing, starvation and mass destruction in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu thanked President Joe Biden's administration for continued support, including the decision to urgently sell weapons to the Israeli military for the second time this month, as well as preempting a UN Security Council resolution that called for immediate ceasefire.
Israel argues that ending the war now would mean victory for Hamas - the radical Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
This position is also supported by the Biden administration, which, at the same time, calls on Israel to do more to avoid killing civilians. In fresh fighting at the weekend, Israeli warplanes bombed refugee camps in Nuseirat and Burei in central Gaza, while infantry pushed deeper into the southern city of Khan Jounis.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Saturday that more than 21,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's unprecedented air and ground offensive since it began on October 7, when Hamas attacked southern Israel. According to her, only in the last 24 hours, 165 Palestinians have been killed.
Meanwhile, 170 Israeli soldiers have been killed so far in fighting in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. The war has displaced over 85 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, and devastated most of the territory.
The State Department said Friday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified Congress that he has approved the sale of $147.5 million worth of military equipment. This is the second time this month that the Biden administration has bypassed Congress to sell arms to Israel urgently.
More than 120 hostages are being held in Gaza after Hamas militants kidnapped more than 240 people during the October 7 attack, when they killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in Israel./ REL
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