Israeli forces approaching outskirts of Gaza City, Premier Netanyahu says

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the army is approaching the outskirts of Gaza City amid a massive military offensive on the Palestinian territory.

"We are in the middle of the campaign. We have achieved very impressive successes. We are already closer to the outskirts of Gaza City. We are making progress," Netanyahu said in a written statement released by his office.

Netanyahu said that his forces have “painful losses because every soldier who falls is a whole world.”

"However, I want to make one thing clear... nothing will stop us," he added.

At least 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting inside the Gaza Strip since Tuesday.

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi earlier said that the Israeli forces were paying a “heavy and painful price” during the Gaza war.

This week, the Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,061 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

Besides the large number of casualties and displacement, basic supplies are running low for the 2.3 million residents in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat