Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahupublished a video statement this Saturday expressing condolences over the death eight soldiers in Rafahin the Gaza Strip, in which he insisted on the need to continue hostilities in the strip, since “there is no alternative to victory.”

“This enemy does not intend to stop. Together with the Iranian axis of evil, he will continue to try to destroy us,” he said, adding: ” there is no alternative to victory“.

Based on this premise, Netanyahu once again stated that he would achieve Israel’s “military objectives” under a ceasefire: destroy Hamas’s military and government capabilitiesrescue the hostages, ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to the country and that evacuated residents can return to their homes both in the north, along the border with Lebanon, and in the south.

“Many more challenges await usthe Israeli leader predicted in the face of a war the country is waging “on several fronts, including international.”

At the moment, Israel not only attacked the Gaza Strip, where it killed 37,296 Gazans, but also on the border with Lebanonwhere the military maintains a constant and increasingly intense firefight with the Shiite and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, raising fears of an escalation into open war.

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated throughout the country this afternoon, especially in Tel Aviv, where these types of rallies take place every Saturday to protest against Netanyahu and demand a ceasefire agreement that will allow the return of the hostages, as there are still 116 hostages in the sector.

Andrei Kozlov, one of the four hostages rescued alive last Saturday during the Nuseirat operation that killed 274 Gazans, posted a video calling for attend a routine protest at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv this Saturday and demanded a ceasefire from the Prime Minister.

You might be interested > Israel experiences deadliest day in Gaza since January: 8 soldiers killed in Rafah

“For the hostages who remain in the Gaza Strip, there is one solution, only one: an agreement between Israel and Hamas,” demanded the 27-year-old man.

Before that June 15 negotiations between both sides deteriorated on various issues: the end of the war is a necessary condition for the Islamist organization to return the hostages, while Israel says it will not stop the offensive until it ends.

This Saturday, the Israeli army experienced its deadliest day in Gaza since January. 8 soldiers died in a massive explosion while they were in an armored vehicle in Rafah (in the south of the sector), which is claimed by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

You might be interested > Hamas says Israeli airstrike in Rafah kills two hostages

Among the eight dead was Captain Wassem Mahmoud (23 years old)deputy commander of the 601st Engineer Battalion of the Israeli Army, and the names of the others have not yet been disclosed, although their families have been informed of the incident, the statement said.

It was the day the most Israeli soldiers died in Gaza since January 22, when two buildings collapsed in the Gaza Strip, killing 21 soldiers. (EFE)