Netanyahu says he's 'determined to continue' Gaza airstrikes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected President Biden's call for a "significant de-escalation" of the violence between Israel and Hamas, tweeting that he is "determined to continue this operation until its goal is achieved, to restore peace and security to you, the citizens of Israel."

The fighting is now in its 10th day, and at least 227 Palestinians, including 64 children, have been killed in Gaza, while 12 people, including two children, have been killed in Israel. Israel said its airstrikes have been targeting Hamas in an attempt to degrade its military capabilities, and a senior Israeli military official told The Washington Post that so far, more than 60 miles of underground tunnels and 80 rocket launchers have been destroyed.

Israel, the official said, has had "a factory of [Hamas] targets" in mind for years, ready to hit them when the "opportunity" came up. "We are assessing whether the achievements are enough to bring the message to Hamas," he added. "We can go more days, more weeks."

Hamas has fired thousands of rockets into Israel, but lately not with the same speed as earlier in the conflict, the Post reports. Egypt is leading the efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, and per Reuters, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk told Lebanon's al-Mayadeen TV he expects one will be brokered "within a day or two."

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