Jerusalem, 24 Dec (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv on 24 December that the Israeli army's actions are based on operational needs and are not affected by external pressure.
According to information released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu denied at a cabinet meeting on the same day that the United States had "prevented and is preventing Israeli actions in the region." He said that as a sovereign State, Israel's decisions were based on operational considerations, and the use of troops was an independent decision of the IDF and was not affected by external pressure.
Netanyahu said that "it will be a long war". Israel will continue to strike at the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip until all objectives are achieved, namely, the destruction of Hamas, the release of all detainees and the ensurance that the Gaza Strip no longer poses a threat to Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces said on the 24th that the Israeli army attacked about 200 targets in the Gaza Strip in the past day, killing many Hamas fighters. According to Palestinian television, at least 40 people were killed in the main Israeli attacks in the Buraij refugee camp, the al-Nusailit refugee camp, the Maghazi refugee camp and the eastern part of Deir el-Ballah.
Since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli clashes on 7 October, the Israeli army has repeatedly issued evacuation orders to residents in the northern Gaza Strip and residents in the southern part of Khan Younis. According to the United Nations, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have resulted in the displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians**. According to data from the Gaza Strip health department on December 23, the current round of clashes has resulted in the death of more than 20,000 Palestinians, 530,000 people were injured. (ENDS).