Netanyahu visits Gaza, vows Israel will ‘intensify’ fighting; is heckled by hostage families, with no end in sight to war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip on Monday, pledging to escalate the military's assault in the Palestinian territory, according to his party. 'I just returned from Gaza. we're not ceasing, we're persisting in our fight and we're amplifying the combat in the forthcoming days,' he informed members of his Likud party. He further stated that the war is going to be protracted and is far from concluding.

Concurrently, families of hostages seized by Gaza militants vociferously protested against Netanyahu on Monday as he addressed the parliament. He assured to repatriate the captives but mentioned that 'more time' was requisite. The families chanted 'Now! Now! ' when Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces required 'more time' to augment military pressure on Gaza's Hamas rulers. Israel asserts that 129 hostages are still detained in the Palestinian territory. Earlier this month, three Israeli hostages were inadvertently killed in Gaza by Israeli forces.

Israel's offensive persisted with strikes on Monday, battering Gaza where health officials reported numerous fatalities throughout the Hamas-governed territory, casting a shadow over Christmas celebrations. The Gaza health ministry reported that an Israeli strike late on Sunday resulted in the death of at least 70 individuals in Al-Maghazi refugee camp, located in the territory's centre. Zeyad Awad, a camp resident, accused Israel's army of instilling 'panic in the hearts of my children' and targeting civilians 'indiscriminately, without mercy'. The army stated it was scrutinizing the incident and was 'committed to international law'.