Netanyahu: 'This Is a Time for War'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out a ceasefire with Hamas despite rising international concern over civilian casualties Monday, comparing Israel's position to that of the US after Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 attacks. "Israel did not start this war. Israel did not want this war. But Israel will win this war," he said, per NBC News. "Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism," Netanyahu said at a press conference. "The Bible says 'there is a time for peace, and a time for war,'" he said, adding, "This is a time for a war."

Netanyahu also said he has no plans to resign, despite what the AP describes as "mounting anger over Israel's failure to prevent the worst surprise attack on the country in a half century." His remarks came as Israeli ground forces continued to push farther into the Gaza Strip. Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said additional forces had entered the area and there is "direct contact between our forces on the ground and terrorists as the fighting continues inside the Gaza Strip," the Washington Post reports.

The military said it had hit more than 600 militant targets in recent days. The UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said conditions for civilians are deteriorating rapidly. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, the Palestinian death toll has risen to 8,300. Israeli authorities said Monday that ground operations had rescued a female soldier hostage on Sunday. Hamas released a video Monday of three female hostages, likely speaking under duress, delivering a statement criticizing Netanyahu's policies, the AP reports. Netanyahu's office denounced the video as "cruel psychological propaganda." (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)