Israeli Prime Minister declares to fight Hamas with all strength

"Our forces are advancing. We will continue to fight with all our might until we achieve all our goals," Prime Minister Netanyahu said. Among these goals, Netanyahu listed "the return of all those kidnapped, the destruction of Hamas and ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel."

On the same day, Israel's Kan Radio quoted an unnamed official as saying that combat operations in the Gaza Strip would continue for several days until Hamas announced its readiness to release the hostages it is holding. According to this official, "negotiations (with Hamas) will be conducted under fire (of war)" until Hamas militants say they are ready to release Israeli hostages.

Meanwhile, anonymous Egyptian and regional sources said Israel has informed several Arab countries that the Jewish state wants to establish a buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the Gaza border to prevent future attacks as part of its proposal for the land after the war ends.

“Israel wants this buffer zone to be established between Gaza and Israel from north to south to prevent any Hamas or other militants from entering or attacking Israel,” a senior regional security official said. Asked about the plan for the buffer zone, Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, said: “The plan is more detailed than that. It is based on a three-tier process after Hamas is defeated.” Outlining the Israeli government’s view, he said the three tiers involve the goal of destroying Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza and deradicalizing the area. “A buffer zone could be part of the demilitarization process,” he said. He declined to provide details when asked whether such plans had been presented to international partners, including Arab states.

Arab countries have rejected Israel's goal of eliminating Hamas as impossible, while affirming that Hamas is not simply a rebel force that can be defeated.