Netanyahu says second phase of war will be 'long and difficult'

In a televised address on Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military opened a "second stage" in the war on Gaza by sending ground forces into the besieged enclave.

Netanyahu said the next phase of the war would include expanding Israeli attacks from the ground, air, and sea. The Israeli military said it was gradually expanding ground operations inside Gaza, but stopped short of calling it an invasion.

“It will be long and difficult,” he said. “We are ready.”

“This is the second stage of the war, whose objectives are clear: to destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and bring the hostages home,” he said.

The ongoing aerial bombardment of Gaza in recent days has been the most intense residents have witnessed since the start of the war.

Netanyahu said he is determined to bring back all Israeli hostages, and added that the ground operation “will help us in this mission”. Hamas has said it is ready to immediately release all hostages in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention.

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has risen to more than 7,700 people since the war began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.