JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that intense fighting against Hamas is "very close" to an end.
In an interview with Israeli Channel 14 TV news, Netanyahu said that "the intensive phase of the war in Rafah is about to end," and the Israeli forces were "very close" to concluding the "intensive phase" in the entire Gaza Strip.
However, he said, this does not mean an end to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, and operations will persist with the fighting against Hamas targets.
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After the conclusion of the "intensive phase" in Gaza, "we will continue northward," Netanyahu said, referring to Israel's warnings of launching a full-fledged war against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Netanyahu also said at his weekly cabinet meeting that there has been "a dramatic drop" in weapons shipments from the United States for Israel's war in Gaza over the past few months
He said that any agreement to secure a ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Israeli and Hezbollah forces have traded fire since October 7, 2023, "will have to meet our terms."
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He stated he would only agree to a deal that would see Hamas removed from power in the Gaza Strip and the release of about 100 hostages who are still held in the Palestinian enclave.
Also on Sunday, Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting that there has been "a dramatic drop" in weapons shipments from the United States for Israel's war in Gaza over the past few months.
"Four months ago, there was a dramatic decrease in the munitions coming to Israel from the US," he said, without elaborating on the types of weapons.
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Netanyahu told his ministers that deliveries of certain items arrived "sporadically", but the munitions at large "remained behind".
Last week, Netanyahu said that it is "inconceivable that in the past few months, the (Biden) administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel"
He said Israel approached the United States several times about the issue. "We did so at the highest levels, and at all levels, and I want to emphasize – we did so behind closed doors. We received all sorts of explanations, but one thing we did not receive: the basic situation did not change," he said.
Last week, Netanyahu said that it is "inconceivable that in the past few months, the (Biden) administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel". His previous remarks were denied by the Biden administration.
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"We genuinely do not know what he's talking about," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
US President Joe Biden has delayed the delivery of certain heavy bombs since May, but his administration fought back last week against Netanyahu's charges that other shipments had also been affected.
