Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement issued this evening, Sunday, that Israel is working to "deepen the war" on the Gaza Strip, stressing that his government "will continue the war until complete victory over the Hamas movement."

He considered that "this is the only way to return the hostages, eliminate Hamas, and ensure that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel," and continued, "It will take some time, but we are united and determined to fight until the end: the fighters, the people and the government."

Netanyahu added, "War has a price, a very high price that we pay with the lives of our heroic warriors, and we are doing our best to preserve the lives of our warriors. But we will be careful not to do one thing, which is that we will not stop until we achieve victory."