Israel-Hamas war: Netanyahu warns of long war ahead in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said fighting inside the Gaza Strip will be "long and difficult," with Israeli ground forces now operating in the Palestinian territory for more than 24 hours.

"The war in the [Gaza] Strip will be long and difficult and we are prepared for it," Netanyahu told a news conference after meeting families of hostages held in Gaza.

Netanyahu said the ground operation launched by Israeli troops in Gaza was the second stage in a war against the Islamist group Hamas, and defeating Hamas is an "existential test" for Israel. He also called on the civilian population of Gaza to move to safe areas.

According to the prime minister, contacts to secure the release of hostages are continuing even during the ground offensive, and every effort would be made to rescue the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas.

Netanyahu said the idea of a swap deal of hostages for Palestinian prisoners had been discussed within the Israeli war cabinet. But he declined to elaborate, saying revealing any details would be counterproductive. 

He also accused Hamas of using hospitals as command centers and said that "90%" of the Hamas military budget comes from Iran.

Several thousand people gathered in Berlin's Kreuzberg district on Saturday for a pro-Palestinian demonstration. Many participants carried banners condemning Israel's attacks on the Palestinian-populated Gaza Strip. One banner accused Israel of "genocide."

Demonstrators also criticized the German government's support for Israel. Displaying many Palestinian flags, protesters repeatedly shouted "Viva, Viva Palestine" or "Free Palestine."

According to the police, about 3,000 people took part in the demonstration. The police were present with a large contingent. Among them were interpreters to prevent the possible dissemination of criminal content by participants in foreign languages, such as Arabic.

Israel's military is moving to a new phase of its war with Hamas in Gaza, said military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, as ground forces continued operations in the bombarded Palestinian enclave.

"This war has stages and today we are moving to the next stage. Our forces are currently operating on the ground in the Gaza Strip," Halevi said in a televised message. 

According to Halevi, there is no way to destroy the enemy without entering its own territory. He added that hundreds of Hamas militants have been killed, and their infrastructure has been destroyed. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli army warned residents of Gaza City that the area was now a "battlefield," as it stepped up its air campaign against Hamas militants in the Palestinian territory.

"To the residents of the Gaza Strip: The Gaza governorate (Gaza City) has become a battlefield. Shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza governorate are not safe," the army said in leaflets dropped by fighter jets, as it urged residents to "evacuate immediately" to the south.

Hamas's armed wing said it was ready to release the hostages it abducted during its shock attack on October 7 if Israel freed all Palestinians held in its prisons. Some 200 hostages are currently being held by militants in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli army.

"The price to pay for the large number of enemy hostages in our hands is to empty the [Israeli] prisons of all Palestinian prisoners," Ezzedine Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said in a statement broadcast by the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television channel.

Obeida also said Hamas was about to reach an agreement with Israel over the hostages held by the Palestinian militant faction but Israel had "stalled" on that possibility.

Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces chief Herzi Halevi has said the military will do "everything" they can to recover hostages.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry has said that "Israeli obstacles" including truck inspection procedures were impeding the prompt delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian enclave.

"The trucks must be inspected at the Israeli Nitzana crossing before they head to the Rafah crossing on a journey that takes a distance of 100 kilometers (62 miles) before they actually enter the Rafah crossing, which causes obstacles that significantly delay the arrival of aid," a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

The Rafah crossing, which is controlled by Egypt and does not border Israel, has become the main point of aid delivery since Israel imposed a siege on Gaza in retaliation for an attack by Hamas militants from the coastal strip on October 7.

Before the conflict, about 500 trucks a day were crossing into Gaza, but in recent days an average of only 12 trucks a day have entered, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has said Israel recalled its diplomatic envoys to Turkey because of "grave statements" made by Ankara.

"Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey," Cohen said in a post on the social media site X, previously known as Twitter.

On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that Israel was committing "war crimes." He called on Israel to emerge from what he described as its "state of insanity" and end military actions in Gaza.

Earlier, the Turkish leader had already called Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, "freedom fighters," not terrorists. Ankara maintains contacts with Hamas and, according to its own statements, is trying to secure the release of the hostages from the Gaza Strip.

The militant Islamist Hamas, which launched the October 7 attacks on Israel, has been classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Germany, the United States and many other countries.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sharply criticized the "unprecedented escalation" of bombardments on Gaza and urged an "immediate" humanitarian cease-fire for the delivery of aid.

"Regrettably, instead of the pause, I was surprised by an unprecedented escalation of the bombardments and their devastating impacts, undermining the referred humanitarian objectives," Guterres said on a visit to Doha.

"This situation must be reversed. I reiterate my strong appeal for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire, together with the unconditional release of hostages and a delivery of humanitarian relief," he added.

Meanwhile, a shell hit the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon on Saturday, its spokesman said. "A shell hit inside the base" in Naqura, said Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

He said there were "no injuries but some damage," and UNIFIL was seeking to verify who fired the shell. The shell did not explode, a UNIFIL statement said, adding that "several of our other positions have also sustained damage in the past three weeks" and urging "all parties to immediately cease fire."

Saudi Arabia has sharply criticized the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, as Israel expands its ground offensive.

"Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces any ground operations carried out by Israel as this will threaten lives of Palestinian civilians, and expose them to further perils and inhuman conditions," the monarchy's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said Riyadh follows with "extreme concern the Israeli military escalation" in Gaza due to ground operations. The ministry warned against "the danger of continuing to carry out these blatant and unjustified violations of international law against the brotherly Palestinian people," saying it would have "serious repercussions for the stability of the region."

Saudi Arabia, seen as a key backer of the Palestinians, has paused talks on a possible normalization of ties with Israel over the Gaza bombing, according to Saudi diplomatic sources.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell demanded on Saturday a "pause of hostilities" to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. 

"Gaza is in complete blackout and isolation while heavy shelling continues," Borrell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Far too many civilians, including children, have been killed. This is against International Humanitarian Law," he said, adding: "A pause of hostilities is urgently needed to enable humanitarian access."

At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders issued a demand for "humanitarian corridors and pauses" so that aid could be delivered to Gaza. They also called for access to trapped civilians there, including hundreds of EU passport holders.

Elon Musk has said SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications system can help restore communications in Gaza, which have been interrupted amid Israel's intense bombardment.

"Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza," Musk wrote on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, which he owns.

Starlink provides high-speed satellite internet to remote areas and has been used by Ukraine during Russia's invasion, for humanitarian purposes as well as defense and attacks on Russian positions.

Numerous international organizations say they have lost contact with their staff and partners in Gaza, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Program (UNDP), the UN World Food Program (WFP), Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). 

But Musk said it was unclear who has authority for ground communications links in Gaza, adding that "no terminal has requested a connection in that area." The telephone and internet blackout began on Friday evening.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called Western powers "the main culprit" behind the Israeli army's "massacre" of Palestinians in Gaza.

"If we leave aside some conscientious voices... the massacre in Gaza is entirely the work of the West," Erdogan told a rally of at least several hundred thousand Palestinian supporters in Istanbul.

He accused Western powers of "shedding tears" over the death of civilians in Ukraine, while ignoring the death of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Erdogan added that Israel was behaving like a "war criminal" with its siege of Gaza.

Earlier in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Turkish president called on Israel to emerge from what he described as its "state of insanity" and end military actions.

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in central London on Saturday to demand the UK government support a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Fireworks and red and green flares were lit as huge crowds massed Saturday on the banks of the Thames.

The march, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was due to end outside the Houses of Parliament after passing the Downing Street office of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Sunak's government, like the United States, has stopped short of calling for a cease-fire and instead advocated humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach people in Gaza.

Ahead of Saturday's event, police warned there was no place for hate crime and said 2,000 officers would be on duty across the city. 

Thousands of others were expected to gather in other UK cities, including Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow.

Demonstrations also took place on Saturday in Pakistan, France, Italy and Switzerland.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his country has "moved to the next stage in the war" against Hamas.

"Last evening, the ground shook in Gaza. We attacked above ground and underground ... we attacked terror operatives of all ranks, everywhere," he said in a video statement.

Gallant said operations that began overnight would continue — targeting tunnels and other infrastructure of Hamas as well as leaders of the Islamist movement, which is considered a terrorist organization by the EU, Germany, the United States and other countries.

"The instructions for the forces are clear: the operation will continue until a new order."

Meanwhile, Israel's military has restated a call for Palestinians to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip ahead of a full Israeli ground operation.

"This is an urgent military advisory," said spokesman Daniel Hagari on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate south."

"The impending IDF [Israel Defense Forces] operation is set to neutralize the threat of Hamas with precision and intensity," he said.

Israel's ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, has criticized Germany's decision to abstain from a United Nations resolution adopted Friday on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Germany was one of 45 countries that abstained from the resolution, which condemns all violence against Israeli and Palestinian civilian populations.

The text also calls for the "immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive" and demands unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at a state party conference for Germany's center-right Christian Democratic Party, Prosor said: "We need Germany's support at the UN."

Abstaining from a vote "because you cannot say directly that Hamas is responsible for this cruel massacre is not enough," he told delegates in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Prosor added that the conflict narrative is moving toward a perpetrator-victim reversal that is leading to a "delegitimization and demonization of Israel."

Hamas has been classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Germany the United States and other countries.

Pro-Palestinian rallies have been taking place in Malaysia and Turkey, where President Tayyip Erdogan will join the event in Istanbul to give an address.

Turkey has condemned Israeli civilian deaths perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, but Erdogan this week called the militant group Palestinian "freedom fighters."

He also criticized some Western nations for their continued support of Israel.

In Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, meanwhile, a large crowd gathered for a pro-Palestinian rally at the gates of the US embassy.

On Friday, the Malaysian government has criticized TikTok, accusing it of blocking pro-Palestinian content, which the social media platform denies.