Tel Aviv, 17 November 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is trying to end its conflict in the Gaza Strip with a minimum of civilian casualties.

"Any civilian death is a tragedy," Netanyahu said in an interview with US broadcaster CBS.

"And we shouldn't have any because we're doing everything we can to get the civilians out of harm's way while Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm's way," he said.

Netanyahu said Israel was dropping leaflets and calling Palestinians on the phone, asking them to leave the area.

"We will try to finish the job with minimal civilian casualties, that's what we're trying to do. Minimal civilian casualties. But unfortunately we're not successful."

Hundreds of Hamas fighters broke through the border from Gaza and attacked Israeli communities on October 7, killing some 1,200 people. About 240 people were taken back to Gaza as hostages.

The killing led to a massive bombardment of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces, as well as a ground offensive in the north of the territory that has penetrated deep into Gaza City.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza has said that more than 11,500 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. The figures cannot be independently verified at present.

Photo: MIA archive