Israel PM Netanyahu to 'increase pressure' on Hamas

Jerusalem, April 22 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to intensify the military crackdown on Hamas.In a video address on Sunday, Netanyahu threatened action "in the coming days," without elaborating on the time and place."We will strike it with additional painful blows -- and this will happen soon," he said as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.He added that in the next few days, Israel "will increase the military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas because this is the only way to free our hostages and achieve our victory".Netanyahu has previously said that the Israeli military will initiate a ground assault on Rafah, despite international calls to refrain from such action due to the expected toll it would exact on more than one million civilians seeking shelter in Gaza's southern city.--IANSint/khz

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