Netanyahu: “Intense” phase of Israel-Gaza war nears “end”

June 23 (UPI) – The latest battle in the war between Israel and Hamas is coming to an end, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

The “most intense phase of the war with Hamas is nearing its end,” Netanyahu said.

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The Prime Minister pointed out that this measure does not mean the end of the war in the Gaza Strip, but that the Israeli military will shift its focus to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

“This does not mean that the war is ending, but the war in its current phase will end in Rafah. This is true. We will continue mowing the lawn later,” Netanyahu told Channel 14 television in his first one-on-one interview with local Israeli media since October 7, CNN reported.

Netanyahu said in the interview that he was ready for a “partial agreement” with Hamas and would make concessions regarding the return of some hostages, but wanted to stick to his stated mission of “achieving the goal of eliminating Hamas.”

“I am not ready to give up on this,” Netanyahu said of his mission to destroy Hamas.

Netanyahu added: “After the end of the intensive phase, we will have the opportunity to shift some of the power to the north, and that is what we will do.”

“Firstly, for protection reasons and secondly, to bring our residents home as well. If we can do that politically, that would be great. If not, we will do it in other ways, but we will bring everyone back home – all residents of the north and the south,” he added.

Netanyahu is under increasing pressure from the United States and other allies, including those that support Israel, as the death toll in Gaza approaches 40,000. Israel launched the war against Iran-backed Hamas in retaliation for the militia’s October 7 terror attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped about 250 more.

US President Joe Biden called on Netanyahu to moderate Israeli military attacks on Gaza, including the shelling of a food aid operation that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in April.

Gaza residents were forced to evacuate and move south as Israeli attacks continued, including to Rafah. Despite international condemnation, Israeli forces entered that city as well, displacing hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents, many of whom had already been displaced before, some more than once.