RAFAH, Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces hammered Rafah in southern Gaza with tanks and artillery Saturday, hours after US President Joe Biden said Israel was offering a new roadmap toward a full ceasefire.

Shortly after Biden鈥檚 announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his country would still pursue the war until it had reached all its aims, including the destruction of Hamas.

Netanyahu on Saturday insisted on Hamas鈥檚 destruction as part of an Israeli plan presented by US President Joe Biden to end the Gaza war.

鈥淚srael鈥檚 conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas鈥檚 military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,鈥� the Israeli leader said in a statement.

鈥淯nder the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place.

鈥淭he notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter,鈥� Netanyahu added.

Israel鈥檚 opposition leader on Saturday urged Netanyahu to heed US President Joe Biden鈥檚 call for a Gaza truce under which Hamas would free hostages, and offered to support the government should far-right coalition partners bolt.

鈥淭he government of Israel cannot ignore President Biden鈥檚 consequential speech. There is a deal on the table and it should made,鈥� Yair Lapid said in an X post.

鈥淚 remind Netanyahu that he has a safety net from us for a hostage-release deal if (Itamar) Ben-Gvir and (Bezalel) Smotrich leave the government.鈥�

The Palestinian militant group, meanwhile, said it 鈥渃onsiders positively鈥� the plan laid out by Biden.

In his first major address outlining a possible end to the conflict, the US president said Israel鈥檚 three-stage offer would begin with a six-week phase that would see Israeli forces withdraw from all populated areas of Gaza.

It would also see the 鈥渞elease of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded, in exchange for (the) release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.鈥�

Israel and the Palestinians would then negotiate during those six weeks for a lasting ceasefire 鈥� but the truce would continue while the talks remained underway, Biden said.

The US leader urged Hamas to accept the Israeli offer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time for this war to end, for the day after to begin,鈥� he said, in comments echoed by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

Hamas in a statement on Friday evening said it 鈥渃onsiders positively鈥� Biden鈥檚 speech regarding 鈥渁 permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, reconstruction and the exchange of prisoners.鈥�

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his counterparts from Jordan, 黑料社区 and Turkiye on Friday to press the deal.

UN chief Antonio Guterres 鈥渟trongly hopes鈥� the latest development 鈥渨ill lead to an agreement by the parties for lasting peace,鈥� his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the Israeli offer 鈥減rovides a glimpse of hope and a possible path out of the war鈥檚 deadlock,鈥� while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed a 鈥渂alanced and realistic鈥� approach to end the bloodshed.

But Netanyahu took issue with Biden鈥檚 presentation of what was on the table, insisting the transition from one stage to the next in the proposed roadmap was 鈥渃onditional鈥� and crafted to allow Israel to maintain its war aims.

鈥淭he prime minister authorized the negotiating team to present an outline for achieving (the return of hostages), while insisting that the war will not end until all of its goals are achieved,鈥� Netanyahu鈥檚 office said.

Those aims included 鈥渢he return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas鈥檚 military and governmental capabilities,鈥� it added.

鈥淭he exact outline proposed by Israel, including the conditional transition from stage to stage, allows Israel to maintain these principles.鈥�

Israel has repeatedly vowed to destroy Hamas since the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7.

Israel sent tanks and troops into Rafah in early May, ignoring concerns over the safety of displaced Palestinian civilians sheltering in the city on the Egyptian border.

Before the Rafah offensive began, the United Nations said up to 1.4 million people were sheltering in the city.

Since then, one million have fled the area, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has said.

The Israeli seizure of the Rafah crossing has further slowed sporadic deliveries of aid for Gaza鈥檚 2.4 million people and effectively shuttered the territory鈥檚 main exit point.

Israel said last week that aid deliveries had been stepped up.

But Blinken acknowledged on Friday that the humanitarian situation was 鈥渄ire鈥� despite US efforts to bring in more assistance.

The World Food Programme said daily life had become 鈥渁pocalyptic鈥� in parts of southern Gaza since Israel began its assault on Rafah in early May.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas鈥檚 unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

Israel鈥檚 retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,284 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory鈥檚 health ministry.

In northern Gaza, witnesses said that after carrying out a three-week operation in the town of Jabalia and its neighboring refugee camp, troops had ordered residents of nearby Beit Hanun to evacuate ahead of an imminent assault.

The Israeli army said troops 鈥渃ompleted their mission in eastern Jabalia and began preparation for continued operations in the Gaza Strip.鈥�

鈥� with Reuters