Netanyahu says military campaign will continue despite increasing calls for ceasefire as Israeli airstrikes killed 42 people in Gaza Sunday

People inspect the rubble of a building in Gaza that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike — People inspect the rubble of the Yazegi residential building that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Sunday, May 16, 2021.
AP Photo/Adel Hana

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said attacks against Hamas will continue at "full-force."
Calls for a ceasefire have grown, including from the UN Secretary-General and a group of US senators.
At least 42 people, including 10 children, were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday.
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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the country's military campaign against the militant group Hamas will continue despite increasing international calls for a ceasefire.

Sunday also marked the deadliest attack in the latest round of violence, with at least 42 people killed in Gaza, including 10 children, according to the Associated Press.

Netanyahu appeared on CBS's Face the Nation and was asked how long the recent bout of attacks will continue.

"Well, we hope that it doesn't continue very long, but we were attacked by Hamas," Netanyahu said. "Thousands of rockets and missiles on our cities and I think any country has to defend itself and has a natural right of self-defense. We'll do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet."

He continued: "We're trying to degrade Hamas's terrorist abilities and to degrade their will to do this again. So it will take some time. I hope it won't take long but it's not immediate."

Earlier reports indicated Israel could be headed towards a ceasefire, but during a televised address Netanyahu said the attacks would continue at "full-force," AP reported.

Hamas attacks have also continued, as more rockets were launched from civilian areas of Gaza on Sunday with one hitting a synagogue.

Calls from the international community to end the violence have intensified. United Nations Secretary-General Antonie Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire during a UN security council meeting on Sunday, CNBC reported.

"This latest round of violence only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair, and pushes farther to the horizon any hopes of coexistence and peace," Guterres said.

President Joe Biden has not called for an immediate ceasefire, prompting criticism from some Democrats, but his ambassador the UN said during the Security Council meeting that the US is "working tirelessly through diplomatic channels" to end the attacks, AP reported.

In a joint statement Sunday, a group of 28 US senators, led by Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, urged an immediate ceasefire "to prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories."

AP reported that the latest round of attacks by Hamas and Israel have killed 188 people in Gaza, including 55 children and eight people in Israel, including one child, as of Sunday.

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