Hamas war: Netanyahu says Israel ready to 'stand alone' and 'fight with fingernails'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (May 9) issued a veiled response to the latest move by the United States on weapon supplies as he saidthat Israel was prepared to "stand alone" in its war in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden announced earlier that his administration would not support Israel and halt the supply of some weapons if it launched an operation against Hamas in populated parts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where around 1.4 million people are sheltering.

Without mentioning the US, Netanyahu said on the eve of Israel's Independence Day, marking the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, that back then "we were few against many". He added, "If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone."

"As I have already said, if we must, we shall fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than our fingernails, and with that strength of spirit, with God's help, together we shall be victorious," he said.

Watch:How is Gaza war shaping US politics?

Earlier this week, Israeli tanks took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt as Netanyahu moved on with the ground invasion despite rising international pressure to commit to a truce.

The Israeli PM said that he has not yet authorised forces to enter the city, where Israel claims four battalions of Hamas fighters are headquartered.

"We are on the eve of Independence Day. In the War of Independence 76 years ago, we were the few against the many. We did not have weapons. There was an arms embargo on Israel, but with great strength of spirit, heroism and unity among us – we were victorious," Netanyahu said in his video address.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)