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Israel is fighting for its existence, ground operation in Gaza soon: Netanyahu

Israel is in the midst of a fight for its existence and preparations are underway for a ground incursion into Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said and added that "all Hamas members are dead men walking".

In an address to the nation on Wednesday evening, he stressed that the two main goals of the war were "to eliminate Hamas by destroying its military and governance capabilities, and to do everything possible to get our captives home".

Seeking national unity, the prime minister said that, "Israel is in the midst of a fight for our existence." "All Hamas members are dead men walking — above and below ground, inside and outside Gaza," Netanyahu said.

Together with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz, the Security Cabinet, the Chief-of-Staff and heads of the security organisations, "we are working round the clock in order to achieve the aims of the war until victory, and doing so without political considerations," he said. The goals are "saving the nation, achieving victory", Netanyahu said and added that "we are raining down hellfire on Hamas, and we have already eliminated thousands of terrorists – and this is only the beginning".

On speculation about an imminent ground operation in Gaza, the Israeli leader said that it was coming but he would not share when or how. "We are preparing for a ground incursion. I won't specify when, how, how many. I also won’t detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of. And that's the way it is supposed to be. This is the way, so that we protect our soldiers' lives," Netanyahu said.

Israel has drafted 350,000-400,000 soldiers for a ground operation in Gaza since the dastardly attacks on its southern communities on October 7. "I would like to be clear. The timing of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) action will be determined unanimously by the War Cabinet, together with the IDF Chief-of-Staff. Together with the Security Cabinet, we are working to ensure the optimal conditions for our soldiers in the coming actions," Netanyahu said. "When we go into Gaza, in the continuation of the fighting, we will exact the full price from the murderers, those perpetrators of atrocities", he said and equated Hamas with Daesh (ISIS).

Israel has right to respond to the slaughter of their people: Joe Biden

Israel has the right to respond to the slaughter of its people and it will be ensured that the country has what it needs to defend itself, US President Joe Biden said in a joint news conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive against Hamas after unprecedented attacks by the militant group on October 7 killed more than 1,400 people.

"Israel has the right, and I would add responsibility, to respond to the slaughter of their people, and we will ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against these terrorists. That's a guarantee," Biden said at the Rose Garden joint news conference with Albanese on Wednesday.

"We also have to remember that Hamas does not represent the vast majority of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip or anywhere else. Hamas is hiding behind Palestinian civilians. And it's despicable and, not surprisingly, cowardly as well," Biden said.

This also puts an added burden on Israel while they go after Hamas, "but that does not lessen the need to operate and align with the laws of war, for Israel has to do everything in its power -- Israel has to everything its power, as difficult as it is, to protect innocent civilians", the US president said.

Biden also thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for working with the US to make sure that food, water, and medical supplies are getting through to innocent people in Gaza.

The flow needs to increase, he said, adding that the US is working very hard with its partners to make that happen.

At the same time, Biden said that Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity, and peace. "There's no going back to the status quo as it stood on October the 6th. That means ensuring Hamas can no longer terrorise Israel and use Palestinian civilians as human shields," he said.

"It also means that, when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. In our view, it has to be a two-state solution," Biden said.

It means a concentrated effort from all the parties, Israelis, Palestinians, regional partners, global leaders to "put us on a path toward peace", he said.