Netanyahu Announces Second Phase of Gaza Operations

Prime minister calls conflict Israel’s ‘Second War of Independence’ as fears deepen about the high cost borne by Palestinians
In a statement on Saturday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to continue the fight to end Hamas rule and to bring back the hostages held in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night that the second phase of Israel’s war in Gaza had begun, effectively signaling the start of a ground operation but stopping short of calling it an invasion.
Israel’s ground forces continued to fight inside Gaza Saturday, after an intense wave of airstrikes and ground raids overnight Friday targeted Hamas’s extensive network of underground tunnels and killed leaders of the militant group involved in the planning of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that left more than 1,400 people dead.