Ceasefire talks on, but Netanyahu says won't stop war in Gaza now

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not stop the war in Gaza "now", with renewed efforts towards a ceasefire underway.

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Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, he said "if we end the war now, Hamas will return, recover, rebuild and attack us again - and that is what we do not want to go back to".

Netanyahu reiterated that he had set the goal of "the annihilation of Hamas, the elimination of its military and administrative capabilities" to prevent future attacks but said that the objective was not yet complete.