Netanyahu says won't stop Gaza war 'now'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he would not stop the war in Gaza "now", with renewed efforts towards a ceasefire underway.

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem 14 months into the war against Hamas Palestinian militants, he said "if we end the war now, Hamas will return, recover, rebuild and attack us again -- and that is what we do not want to go back to".

Netanyahu reiterated that he had set the goal of "the annihilation of Hamas, the elimination of its military and administrative capabilities" to prevent future attacks but said that the objective was not yet complete.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 23 that Israel had "managed to dismantle Hamas's military capacity" and eliminated its senior leadership. With those successes, he said, it was time to "get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow."

In recent days, there had been signs that months of failed ceasefire and hostage release negotiations might be revived and achieve a breakthrough.

Qatar, a main mediator, said on Saturday there was new "momentum" for negotiations created by the election of Donald Trump in the United States.

A source close to the Hamas delegation said at the same time that Turkey as well as Egypt and Qatar had been "making commendable efforts to stop the war," and a new round of talks could begin soon.

On Sunday, the prime minister met with the families of hostages held in Gaza and said that Israel's wars on Hezbollah and Hamas would facilitate negotiations for their release.

Protesters, including relatives of the hostages, have repeatedly called for a deal to free the captives and accused him of prolonging the war.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

During the attack, militants also kidnapped 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,758 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the UN.