Israeli Prime Minister: Israel wants an end to its war with the Palestinians

At noon local time on May 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told more than 70 diplomats in Israel that Israel was trying to “achieve a state of deterrence against Hamas to end the fighting” but did not rule out “other options” including the occupation of the Gaza Strip.

Diplomats from the United States, the European Union, Russia, China, India, Germany, Austria, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Italy and other countries attended the diplomatic briefing in Tel Aviv.