Netanyahu wants to continue war: 'We need countries to take in Gazans'

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has no intention of stopping the war in the Gaza Strip. Speaking to wounded soldiers, he said the army will "complete the operation to defeat Hamas with full force in the coming days."

According to Netanyahu, the defeat of Hamas goes hand in hand with the release of the hostages held in Gaza, although he recently said their release is not the highest priority.

He expects that under the pressure of the attacks, Hamas will want to release hostages. "We will receive those hostages and then we will continue the operation. There is no situation in which we can stop the war," the prime minister said.

Exit

Netanyahu also spoke about his plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and relocate Palestinians to places outside the Gaza Strip. "There is only one problem: we need countries that can take them in." To date, all countries in the region have said they are not interested in plans that require Gazans to leave for other countries.

"We are working on that plan now," Netanyahu said. "If you give the Gazans a way out, at least 50 percent will leave. And I think maybe even more."

Earlier this month, the Israeli security cabinet agreed to expand the war in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military also called up tens of thousands of reservists to support the expansion of the war in Gaza.

The goal of the new phase appears to be to take more territory in Gaza. In the process, the living space of Gazans is shrinking. Israel currently controls about 70 percent of Gaza.