Reuters. ''Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza'', Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Wednesday (January 10).
He added: ''Our goal is to rid Gaza of Hamas terrorists and free our hostages. Once this is achieved Gaza can be demilitarized and deradicalized".
Israel had said this week it was planning to begin drawing down troops, at least from the northern part of Gaza, after weeks of U.S. pressure to scale down its operations and shift to what Washington says should be a more targeted campaign.
But the fighting appears to be as intense as ever, especially in the southern and central areas where Israeli forces launched ground advances last month.
Israel has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza since launching its campaign to eradicate the Hamas militant group that runs the enclave, after Hamas fighters killed 1,200 Israelis and captured 240 hostages in a rampage on Oct. 7.
Gaza's health authorities have estimated that about 40% of those killed were aged under 18.
