LIVE UPDATES: Israel's Netanyahu says Hamas, terrorist groups taking a 'very bad beating'
Netanyahu thanks Biden, other world leaders for support
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that his military is giving a "very bad beating to Hamas and other terrorist organizations" -- and aren’t about to let up just yet.
"They attacked us on our holiday day, they attacked our capital, they launched missiles to our cities, they pay and pay a heavy price for it. It's not over yet," he said in a videotaped statement. "We will do everything to restore security to our cities and citizens."
Netanyahu also thanked President Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders who "stood for our natural and obvious right to protect ourselves, to act in self-defense against these terrorists who both attack civilians and hide behind civilians."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FAST FACTS
- The fighting broke out late Monday when Hamas, claiming to be the defender of Jerusalem, fired a barrage of long-range rockets toward the city.
- Since then, Israel has attacked hundreds of targets in Gaza.
- Israel regards Jerusalem in its entirety as its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of a future state.
Netanyahu's comments came after Israel called up 9,000 reservists and massed at least three brigades on the Gaza frontier ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory.
The Israeli military said it conducted a massive overnight attack on a network of tunnels dug by Hamas.
At least 122 Palestinians, including 31 children and 20 women, have been killed in the recent clashes, and around 900 were wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. At least seven people have been killed in Israel, including a 6-year-old boy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During the fighting, Palestinian militants have fired about 1,800 rockets and the military has launched more than 600 airstrikes.
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