Netanyahu: Israel Is Prepared For ‘Long Operation’ In Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday dismissed international calls for an immediate cease-fire in the country’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

“We need to be prepared for a long operation until our mission is accomplished,” Netanyahu said in televised remarks.

He defined that mission the same way Israeli officials have since launching a ground offensive in Gaza: taking out the tunnels Hamas uses to infiltrate Israel.

“Israeli citizens cannot live with the threat from rockets and from death tunnels — death from above and from below,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israelis would not “end this operation without neutralizing the tunnels, whose sole purpose is killing our citizens.”

After a brief lull in fighting to mark a Muslim holiday — and following adoption of a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate and unconditional” cease-fire — intense shelling resumed in Gaza on Monday night.

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