Netanyahu Visits Gaza, Vows To Continue Fight

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip on Sunday to meet with soldiers and boost their morale. He vowed to continue the fight against Hamas until the end.

In a clear sign of Israeli control over parts of war-ravaged Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered the Islamist Hamas-ruled coastal Strip on Sunday to meet Israeli soldiers to boost their morale and vowed to carry on the fight until the end.

Netanyahu Meets with Soldiers, Visits Hamas Tunnel

Netanyahu received security briefings from commanders and soldiers and visited one of Hamas tunnels that has been revealed, an official press statement said. He told the soldiers on the ground, "We are here in the Gaza Strip with our heroic soldiers. We are making every effort to return our hostages, and in the end, we will return them all. We have three goals in this war: eliminate Hamas, return all of our hostages and ensure that Gaza will not go back to being a threat to the State of Israel."

Netanyahu: 'We Will Continue Until the End'

Netanyahu asserted, "I am here to tell the soldiers, who all tell me the same thing, and I repeat it to you, citizens of Israel: We are continuing until the end – until victory. Nothing will stop us, and we are convinced that we have the force, the strength, the will and the determination to achieve all of our goals for the war, and this is what we will do."

Three Goals for the War

He reiterated the three goals for the war: "We have three goals for this war: eliminate Hamas, return all our abductees and ensure that Gaza does not become a threat to the State of Israel again."

Israeli Officials Visit Gaza

The Israeli prime minister was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Tzachi Braverman, National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi, his Military Secretary Maj-Gen Avi Gil, and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Deputy Chief-of-Staff Maj-Gen Amir Baram. Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and other senior Israeli officials have visited the northern part of the Strip during the ongoing war in a clear indication that Israel now has control over the ground in a big chunk of the territory.

Hostage Exchange and Ceasefire

Israel and Hamas are currently exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners in a temporary four-day pause mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. The ceasefire will also see humanitarian aid, including fuel, entering the Gaza Strip. The four-day ceasefire, when 50 Israeli hostages are likely to be released against 150 Palestinian prisoners, may get extended with Israel agreeing to a one-day extension for every 10 hostages being released.

Netanyahu's visit to Gaza and his meeting with soldiers underscore Israel's determination to continue the fight against Hamas and regain control over the coastal strip. The ongoing hostage exchange and ceasefire provide a glimmer of hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but it remains to be seen whether a lasting peace can be achieved.