Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Gaza on Monday, where he spoke of committing to his war efforts as Palestinians mourn a recent attack that killed dozens of their brethren.
The trip marked Netanyahu's second known visit to the war-torn region since the beginning of Israel's war with the Hamas militant group. The Israeli prime minister has been facing mounting pressure from the United States to lower the intensity of its war efforts.
Benjamin Netanyahu Visits Gaza
However, during his Monday trip, Netanyahu vowed the opposite, that his country would "deepen" the fighting in the coming days. The latest strike, which happened on Sunday, struck Central Gaza and underscored the risk to civilians as fighting between the two sides intensified.
Residents of the embattled region were mourning the victims of the attack in the neighborhood, Al Maghazi. That area was where many who have fled fighting in other parts of the enclave have sought safety together, as per the New York Times.
Photographs of the aftermath on Monday highlighted a gray concrete building with gaping dark holes where rooms used to be. A mound of debris was found at the foot of the building, where men looked to be digging in search of survivors or bodies without any heavy equipment or machinery.
In a statement, the Gaza Health Ministry said that there were initially 70 people who were found to have died in the latest attack, with many left buried. However, the difficulty of reaching residents in Gaza meant that details of the incident were blurry.
Furthermore, Gazan Health Ministry officials blamed Israel airstrikes for the deadly attack on Al Maghazi. On Monday, Israel's military said that it was already working to review the said attack on the city.
Read Also : Israeli Air Strike Kills At Least 70 Palestinians After Hitting Central Gaza Refugee Camp
Continuing the War Effort
Netanyahu also laid out three "prerequisites for peace" in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. These conditions are to "destroy Hamas, demilitarize Gaza, and deradicalize the whole of Palestinian society," according to the Times of Israel.
It was notable that the piece did not mention any of the hostages that are still being held by the terrorist group in Gaza and did not list their return as one of the prerequisites. The premier wrote that the U.S., the UK, France, Germany, and many other nations support Israel's intention to wipe out the militant group.
Netanyahu said that to reach their goals, it would need to establish a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between the region and Egypt. This should meet Israel's security needs and would prevent the smuggling of weapons into the territory.
The Israeli prime minister also said during his visit to Gaza that his country's military campaign was "not close to being over." His remarks came a few days after the U.S. secretary of state urged decreased fighting in the region.
On Monday, Gaza's Health Ministry also said that roughly 20,674 Palestinians have already lost their lives amid the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The ministry said that the majority of the victims have been women and children, according to BBC.
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