Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing
conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in
Jerusalem, February 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
[N.B. The only way this math can work is if Israel considers all male Palestinians it has killed to be terrorists in accordance with its dictum that there are no innocent civilians in Gaza. 31,000 dead in total, 22,000 of them women and children. The remaining 9,000 would be male.]
Netanyahu says at least 13,000 'terrorists' among Palestinians killed
FRANKFURT,
March 10 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on
Sunday that at least 13,000 "terrorists" were among Palestinians killed
during Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and vowed to press
ahead with an offensive in the south of the enclave - a move U.S.
President Joe Biden has described as his "red line."
Nearly
31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the five month long
war, that began after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7,
killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli
tallies.
The
Gaza health ministry does not break down the death toll between
civilians and Hamas militants but has said that 72% of those killed were
women and children. Hamas dismisses Israel's toll for militants as
attempts to portray "fake victories".
Netanyahu
told German media company Axel Springer, which owns Politico and
Germany's Bild newspaper and broadcaster Welt TV, that extending
Israel's offensive into Rafah in southern Gaza was key to defeating
Hamas.
"We
are very close to victory ... Once we begin military action against the
remaining terror battalions in Rafah, it is only a question of weeks"
until the intensive phase of fighting is concluded, Bild newspaper
quoted Netanyahu as saying.
Biden
and his aides have urged Netanyahu in strong terms not to launch a
major offensive in Rafah until Israel crafts a plan for mass evacuation
of civilians. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are sheltering
in the Rafah area.
Asked
by MSNBC on Saturday whether an invasion of Rafah would be a red line,
Biden said: "It is a red line but I'm never going to leave Israel. The
defense of Israel is still critical. So there's no red line (in which)
I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to
protect them."
Politico
quoted Netanyahu as saying on Sunday that Israeli forces would push
into Rafah, adding: "You know, I have a red line. You know what the red
line is, that October 7 doesn't happen again. Never happens again."
Three
quarters of Hamas battalions had been destroyed and halting the
offensive now would only allow them to regroup, Bild quoted Netanyahu as
saying.
Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Michelle Nichols; editing by Giles Elgood and Sandra Maler