Israeli PM vows to fight 'until victory' despite ceasefire efforts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday that Israel "will fight until Hamas is eliminated," despite renewed efforts toward a new swap deal between the two conflicting parties.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an Israeli official confirmed that talks brokered by Qatar in coordination with the United States have resumed, according to Xinhua.

Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas's political bureau, traveled from Qatar's Doha to Egypt's Cairo for talks on developments in the Gaza Strip, efforts to reach another truce in the enclave and a hostage swap. Before his departure, Haniyeh held a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during which the Hamas leader voiced his movement's readiness for a lasting truce in Gaza, but made clear that Hamas would not negotiate while being attacked by Israel.

Despite recent developments, Netanyahu vowed that Israel is "continuing the war to the end. It will continue until Hamas is eliminated – until victory."

Speaking in a video statement, the prime minister warned that Hamas leaders and fighters "have only two possibilities – to surrender or to die."

Intensifying crisis in Gaza 

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7 has reached 20,000, according to a statement issued by the Hamas-run government media office on Wednesday.

The statement said the victims included more than 8,000 children and 6,200 women, while more than 52,000 people were injured and 6,700 others were missing.

A total of 310 medical personnel, 35 civil defense personnel and 97 journalists were killed in the Israeli attacks, it added.

The head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday issued a dire warning that the absence of safe drinking water in Gaza could lead to the tragic loss of "many more children" to disease.

"Access to sufficient amounts of clean water is a matter of life and death ... children in Gaza have barely a drop to drink," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Children and their families are having to use water from unsafe sources that are highly salinated or polluted. Without safe water, many more children will die from deprivation and disease in the coming days."

Alarming as the lack of drinking water is, "hundreds of thousands" of displaced people – half of them children – also remain "in desperate need" of food, shelter, medicines and protection, UNICEF stressed.

At least 50 percent of WASH facilities – providing basic water and sanitation services – have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza, as UNICEF warned that the impact of this situation on children was particularly worrying because they are more susceptible to diarrhea, disease and malnutrition.

"Already, officials have recorded almost 20 times the monthly average of reported cases of diarrhea among children under the age of five, in addition to increases of cases of scabies, lice, chicken pox, skin rashes and more than 160,000 cases of acute respiratory infection," UNICEF reported.

UN resolution further postponed

Negotiations at the UN Security Council were held on Wednesday as diplomats continued to modify the text to a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in the hopes of avoiding a U.S. veto. 

This resolution calls for the "suspension of hostilities" and the establishment of UN monitoring mechanism for aid entering Gaza. 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that China hopes the United States will stop single-handedly blocking UN Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire.

Wang said so at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on remarks by U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns at the Brookings Institution on December 15 that China has a wish to become more influential in the Middle East, but the work to end the conflict is really on U.S. shoulders.

"China will continue to work relentlessly to that end with the international community," Wang said.

There has been a rising voice from international community for a ceasefire, Wang said, adding that the UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions with an overwhelming majority.

"We hope the United States will listen to the voice of the international community, stop single-handedly blocking Security Council resolutions, and play its due role to promote an immediate ceasefire and prevent an even larger humanitarian catastrophe," Wang said.

Plans to 'fast-track' aid to Gaza 

Amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been under Israeli strikes and siege for more than two months, Israel wants to fast-track the delivery of humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said during his brief visit to Cyprus on Wednesday.

"Cyprus and Israel, together with other partners in the region, are promoting the initiative for a secure maritime corridor to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, in an organized and well-inspected manner," Cohen said.

He was speaking at a joint press conference after he and his Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, visited the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in the airport and port city of Larnaca.

"Within the next two days, all the details for the implementation of the Cypriot proposal will be locked. The aim is to transfer humanitarian aid, which will relieve the hardship of the non-combatants in Gaza," Cohen told.

According to the proposal, humanitarian aid is planned to be shipped from Larnaca port to Gaza.

Meanwhile, a British Royal Navy ship identified as Lyme Bay, which sailed from Larnaca port on Saturday with 80 tonnes of aid, mostly tents donated by Britain and pharmaceuticals provided by Cyprus, was reported to be still at sea.

(With input from agencies)