Israeli military tanks are deployed at a position near the occupied territories border with the Gaza Strip, on May 5, 2025.   (Photo by AFP)

Tel Aviv, May 14 (RHC)-- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli military will enter the Gaza Strip “with full force” in the coming days to complete the ongoing offensive in the besieged territory and “defeat” the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

“In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation.  Completing the operation means defeating Hamas.  It means destroying Hamas,” Netanyahu claimed, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday.

“There will be no situation where we stop the war.  A temporary ceasefire might happen, but we are going all the way,” he added.

The Israeli premier also noted that Israel has set up an administration that will allow Gaza residents to leave, adding that his regime is working to find countries that may be willing to take in Palestinians from the blockaded territory.

Netanyahu has alleged that "over 50 percent will leave" if given the option, according to the statement. 

Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, Israel has signaled its desire to rid Gaza of its local Palestinian population.  Netanyahu has said that Israel will implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s scheme for the resettlement of much of Gaza’s population in other countries.

Palestinians and Arab countries have universally rejected Trump’s proposal, which human rights experts say would violate international law.  Palestinians in Gaza say they don’t want to leave, and fear another mass expulsion like the one that occurred during the war surrounding Israel’s illegal creation in 1948.

The situation is further exacerbated by the regime’s simultaneous tightening of the Gaza blockade to devastating levels, cutting off critical supplies of food and medicine for the territory’s 2.3 million residents.

[ SOURCE:  PRESS TV and AFP ]