GAZA CITY: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back Wednesday against calls from the United States to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead.
Netanyahu's tough comments marked the first public rift between the two close allies since the fighting began last week and could complicate international efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Israel continued to pound targets in Gaza with airstrikes Wednesday, while Palestinian fighters bombarded Israel with rocket fire throughout the day, international media reported. In another sign of potential escalation, militants in Lebanon fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel. After a visit to military headquarters, Netanyahu said he “greatly appreciates the support of the American president,” but said Israel will push ahead “to return the calm and security to you, citizens of Israel.”
He said he is “determined to continue this operation until its aim is met.”
He spoke shortly after US President Joe Biden told Netanyahu “that he expected a significant de-escalation on the path to a ceasefire,” the White House said. Biden had previously avoided pressing Israel more directly and publicly for a ceasefire with Gaza's Hamas rulers. But pressure has been ramping up on Biden to intervene more forcefully as other diplomatic efforts also gather strength. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to press ahead with the operation, and his latest response to Biden signalled he had no intentions of stopping. Egyptian negotiators have also been working to halt the fighting, and an Egyptian diplomat said top officials were waiting for Israel’s response to a ceasefire offer. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he would fly to the region today (Thursday) for talks with Israelis and Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it was widening its strikes on militant targets in southern Gaza to blunt continuing rocket fire from Hamas. At least nine people were killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
At least 227 Palestinians have been martyred, including 64 children and 38 women, with 1,620 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians. Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130. Some 58,000 Palestinians have fled their homes. Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a soldier, have been killed. On Wednesday, militants in Lebanon fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, threatening to open up a new front in fighting.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006, has stayed out of the fighting for now. The rockets are widely believed to be fired by Palestinian factions based in south Lebanon.
In Gaza, one of the Israeli airstrikes destroyed the home of an extended family.
Residents surveyed the piles of bricks, concrete and other debris that had once been the home of 40 members of al-Astal family in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. They said a warning missile struck the building five minutes before the airstrike, allowing everyone to escape.
Ahmed al-Astal, a university professor, described a scene of panic, with men, women and children racing out of the building. Some of the women didn't even have time to cover their hair with Muslim headscarves, he said.
Another strike in nearby Deir al-Balah killed a man, his wife and their 2-year-old daughter, witnesses said. Iyad Salha, a brother of the man who was killed, said the family had just sat down for lunch when the missile hit.
Among those killed Wednesday were a reporter for Hamas-run Al-Aqsa radio and two people who died when warning missiles crashed into their apartment.
The Israeli military said it was striking a militant tunnel network in southern Gaza, with 52 aircraft hitting 40 underground targets.
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