- Title: ISRAEL: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warns of lengthy conflict in Gaza
- Date: 28th July 2014
- Summary: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT IS A LONGER, REUTERS TV, 16:9 VERSION OF EDIT 1084 WHICH WAS CH.10 ISRAEL TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (JULY 28, 2014) (REUTERS) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU WALKING TO MICROPHONES (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING: "We knew that we would have difficult days. This is a difficult and painful day. Stami
- Embargoed: 12th August 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA6OYJO7VG3OB23GDUQE225OAHE
- Story Text: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday his country must prepare for a long conflict in the Gaza Strip, squashing any hopes of a swift end to fighting that has already cost more than 1,000 lives.
In a televised address Monday evening (July 28), a grim-faced Netanyahu said that any solution to the crisis would require the demilitarisation of the Palestinian territory, which is controlled by Hamas Islamists and their militant allies.
"We knew that we would have difficult days. This is a difficult and painful day. Stamina and determination are required in order to continue in the struggle against a murderous terrorist group that aspires to destroy us. even in this hour we continue our operation to neutralize of the terror tunnels. We will not finish the mission, we will not finish the operation without neutralizing the tunnels, which have the sole purpose of destroying our citizens, killing our children," Netanyahu said.
Earlier, the Israeli army said Palestinian fighters had slipped across the border from the Gaza Strip, with media reporting casualties in an ensuing gun battle. There were also reports of four Israeli deaths in a mortar attack, as an unofficial truce called for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival disintegrated.
"We need to be prepared for a protracted campaign. We will continue to act with force and discretion until our mission is accomplished," Netanyahu said.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive on July 8, saying its aim was to halt rocket attacks by Hamas and its allies. It later ordered a land invasion to find and destroy the warren of Hamas tunnels that crisscrosses the border area.
Some 1,054 Gazans, most of them civilians, have died in the three-week-old conflict. Israel has lost 43 soldiers to Gaza fighting and another three civilians have been killed by Palestinian shelling. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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