'Israel to persist in war until objectives are achieved': Netanyahu pledges to destroy Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the Gaza offensive will continue until Hamas's ability to govern and wage war is completely dismantled. "The prime minister authorized the negotiating team to present an outline for achieving the return of hostages, while insisting that the war will not end until all its goals are achieved, including the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas's military and governmental capabilities," Netanyahu’s office stated.

Biden announced proposal

In his first major address outlining a solution to the eight-month conflict, President Biden announced a proposal that begins with a six-week phase during which Israeli forces would withdraw from all populated areas of Gaza. 

What Biden said? 

"The exact outline proposed by Israel, including the conditional transition from stage to stage, allows Israel to maintain these principles," the statement added. Biden emphasized the urgency of seizing the opportunity for peace. “It’s time for this war to end, for the day after to begin,” Biden said in a televised address from the White House. He stressed, “We can’t lose this moment” to achieve peace.

Gaza war claimed many lives 

The Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians. Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army claims are dead. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,284 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry of the Hamas-run territory.