“Israel will continue the war against Hamas with or without international support,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
“A ceasefire at the current stage is a gift to the terrorist organization Hamas, and will allow it to return and threaten the residents of Israel.”
Cohen also called on the international community to act “effectively and aggressively” in order to protect global shipping lanes.
Israel is facing growing diplomatic isolation in its war in Gaza as the United Nations demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and US President Joe Biden said “indiscriminate” bombing of civilians was costing international support.
Israel launched its campaign to annihilate the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza with global sympathy after fighters stormed across the border fence on October 7, killing 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and seizing 240 hostages.
But since then, Israeli forces have besieged the enclave and laid much of it to waste, with more than 18,000 people confirmed killed according to Palestinian health authorities, and many thousands more feared lost in the rubble or beyond the reach of ambulances.