Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli army ready to enter Gaza 'with full force'

Prime Minister estimates more 50 per cent of Gazans would leave if given the option

Israeli soldiers and armoured vehicles are posted near the border with the Gaza Strip. AFP

Israel's military will enter Gaza "with full force" in the coming days and the government is working to find countries willing to take in Palestinians from the coastal enclave, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

"Eliminating Hamas and releasing all our hostages – it works together. That's how we do it," Mr Netanyahu told a group of injured soldiers at a meeting in his office on Monday.

"In the coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation. Completing the operation means defeating Hamas. It means destroying Hamas," a statement from his office quoted Mr Netanyahu as saying.

"Now the forces are there. Hamas may say 'Enough – we want to release 10 more'. OK, bring them. We'll take them, and then we'll enter."

He insisted "there will be no situation where we stop the war. A temporary ceasefire might happen but we are going all the way."

He said his government is working on finding countries to take in Palestinians from Gaza.

"We've set up an administration that will allow them [Gazans] to leave but ... we need countries willing to take them in. That's what we're working on right now," Mr Netanyahu said.

According to the statement, the Prime Minister estimates that "over 50 per cent will leave" Gaza if given the option.

"If you give them the go-ahead, I'm telling you that more than 50 per cent will go out – and I think much more. But Hamas won't be there," he said.

Mr Netanyahu's remarks came a day after Hamas released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, who had been kidnapped during the attack on southern Israel in October 7, 2023 that triggered the war.

Israel's Prime Minister had credited a combination of military pressure on Hamas and the political pressure exerted by US President Donald Trump with Mr Alexander's release.

However, Hamas on Tuesday rejected his claim, saying the return of the captive was "the result of serious communications with the US administration and the efforts of mediators, not a consequence of Israeli aggression or the illusion of military pressure".

Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce in its war against Hamas.

Israel has also blocked food, medicine, fuel and other supplies from entering Gaza since March 2, claiming it is trying to press Hamas into releasing hostages and disarming.

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 52,900 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians.