The three members of Israel's war council said in separate briefings on Tuesday evening that the army was seeking to eliminate Hamas leaders, particularly its head in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, and one spoke of "difficult decisions" to be taken.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not stop the fire and would not allow fuel to enter the Gaza Strip before releasing what he described as abductees.
In what appeared to be a response to international pressure to stop the war, Netanyahu said: "We tell the international community that our war is your war, and if we do not win, you will be the next target."
The Israeli prime minister claimed that the army is achieving "great successes" in its operations in the Gaza Strip, and that it has targeted and assassinated a number of what he described as terrorists who had a role in the October 7 attack, in reference to the Al-Aqsa flood operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance in response to the continuous attacks of the Israeli occupation, and continued, "We have reached places that Hamas did not expect us to reach."
On the northern front, Netanyahu repeated his threats, saying, "If Hezbollah chooses to go to war, it will have made the mistake of its life."
Israel seeks to eliminate Sinwar, calling him primarily responsible for the October 7 attack (Reuters)
Sinwar is a major target
About an hour before the briefing, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant also spoke about the latest developments in the war, explaining that the army is targeting in particular Hamas facilities and leaders, especially Sinwar, who he described as primarily responsible for the October 7 attack.
Gallant claimed that the IDF was making advances from the north and south to the heart of Gaza City and fighting inside residential areas, repeating that the war was aimed at "eliminating Hamas, returning the abductees and changing the situation in Gaza."
US Secretary of State (left) urged Netanyahu to declare a humanitarian truce in Gaza (Anatolia)
Increased pressure
Regarding international positions calling on Israel to declare a humanitarian truce, the defense minister said that "the pressure on us will increase and will require difficult leadership decisions, but we will not stop the fighting in the war that was imposed on us."
Regarding developments on the northern front, Gallant said Israel had no intention of fighting a war with Hezbollah, but that if Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah made a mistake, it would destroy Lebanon.
Coinciding with Galant's speech, rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip and landed in the sea off Tel Aviv, Israel's Channel 12 reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, Emergency Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, the third member of Israel's War Council, also gave a press briefing in which he said the army was targeting Hamas leaders wherever they were, stressing that the group would not rule Gaza after the war.
Gantz indicated that Israel would continue to fight, and would not agree to any humanitarian deal that did not include the detainees, he said.
In light of domestic criticism over the security failure on October 7 and dealing with the detainees' file, Gantz said that there will be a time for demonstrations, investigations, as well as to draw lessons, but now is the time for war and victory, as he put it.
Al Jazeera's Elias Karam pointed out that the exit of the members of the war council in three separate press briefings raises the question of differences between them.
The Israeli war on Gaza continues for the 32nd day, leaving more than 10,300 martyrs, most of them women and children, and displacing more than 1.5 million of the Strip's total population of about 2.2 million.