Civil defence personnel search a burning house hit by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, on November 22, 2025. AFP
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli army conducted strikes on both Gaza and southern Lebanon this week and said such operations “will continue” against Hamas and Hezbollah.
His remarks come as Israel faces growing criticism for repeated violations of the 11 October ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States, to halt the two-year Israeli war on Gaza.
Since the truce came into effect, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 300 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more, mostly women and children.
On Saturday alone, Israeli air raids killed 22 Palestinians and injured dozens, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence, marking one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered truce began.
Aid agencies say Israel’s continued restrictions on the entry of humanitarian supplies have left Gaza’s 2.3 million people facing severe hunger as winter storms and falling temperatures hit the enclave.
At the same time, Israeli strikes have escalated in Lebanon.
Over the past week, Israel has targeted several areas in the south and east, violating the year-long ceasefire with Beirut.
Netanyahu rejected claims that Israel must adhere to international law or obtain external authorization before launching attacks, calling such assertions “an absolute lie”.
“We decide independently of any factor, and that is how it should be. Israel is responsible for its own security,” he said.
On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas accused Israel of expanding its control zones inside Gaza by pushing beyond the truce-mandated demarcation line, a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire, it said.
The group urged mediators and the United States to step in to halt what it called Israel’s deliberate efforts to undermine the ceasefire framework.
In a statement, Hamas said Israeli forces had advanced into areas from which they were required to withdraw and displaced large numbers of families amid intensified aerial and artillery bombardment. It stated that the renewed incursions had altered previously agreed withdrawal lines and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians since the truce began.
Palestinian Civil Defence reported that on Friday, Israeli troops pushed about 250 metres into areas east of Gaza City, forcing hundreds of families to flee to zones lacking basic services or shelter.
The escalation comes less than a week after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) approved a US-backed ceasefire and stabilization plan for Gaza.
The plan aims to halt Israel’s genocidal war on the territory, where occupation forces have killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 170,000 others.
Additionally, Israeli strikes have destroyed or damaged roughly 90 percent of civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
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