Netanyahu rejects ceasefire as Israeli troops continue ground operations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday rejected calls for a ceasefire as Israeli troops continued ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu told the foreign media in Tel Aviv that a ceasefire "will not happen" and emphasized that "Israel did not start this war. Israel did not want this war. But Israel will win this war."

Also on Monday, wearing a badge of a yellow star, a sign of identifying Jews that was used to humiliate and exclude them in history, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Gilad Erdan told the UN Security Council that he would not take off the badge until countries condemn Hamas.

"Some of you have learned nothing in the past 80 years. Some of you have forgotten why this body was established," he says. "So, I will remind you. From this day on, each time you look at me, you will remember what staying silent in the face of evil means."

Meanwhile, the Israeli troops continued ground operations in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said during clashes with Hamas militants in Gaza, the IDF troops killed dozens of those who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels and attempted to attack the troops.

One statement noted that over the last few days, the IDF struck over 600 Hamas targets, including weapons depots and anti-tank missile launching positions, as well as hideouts and staging grounds used by Hamas.

Rocket sirens sounded in various locations in Israel on Monday, including surrounding areas of Gaza, northern towns close to the border with Lebanon, and the western Sea of Galilee, as well as in Jerusalem. Israeli authorities announced that approximately 8,000 rockets have been fired toward Israel since Hamas attack on October 7, which triggered the latest conflict.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 8,382, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, while more than 1,400 people in Israel lost their lives, according to authorities in the country.

UN officials say more than 1.4 million of Gaza's civilian population of about 2.3 million have been made homeless. UNICEF says the situation in Gaza is growing worse by the hour, and the "true cost of this latest escalation will be measured in children's lives."

Save the Children, an international non-governmental organization, reported that nearly 3,200 children have been killed in Gaza in just three weeks.

Noting this surpasses the number of children killed annually across the world's conflict zones since 2019, Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said on Monday that "this cannot be 'collateral damage'."

Churches, mosques, hospitals and UNRWA facilities, including those sheltering displaced people, have not been spared. Too many people have been killed and injured while seeking safety in places protected by international humanitarian law, Lazzarini told the Security Council.

"An immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions. The present and future of Palestinians and Israelis depend on it. I urge all (UN) member states to change the trajectory of this crisis, and work toward a genuine political solution – before it's too late," he said.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2023. /CFP)