Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that at least 13,000 “terrorists” were among Palestinians killed during Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and vowed to press ahead with an offensive in the south of the enclave — a move US President Joe Biden has described as his “red line”.

Nearly 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the war, that began after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The Gaza health ministry does not break down the death toll between civilians and Hamas militants but has said that 72 per cent of those killed were women and children. Hamas dismisses Israel’s toll for militants as attempts to portray “fake victories”.

Netanyahu told German media company Axel Springer, which owns Politico and Germany’s Bild newspaper and broadcaster Welt TV, that extending Israel’s offensive into Rafah was key to defeating Hamas. “We are very close to victory ... Once we begin military action against the remaining terror battalions in Rafah, it is only a question of weeks” until the intensive phase of fighting is concluded, Bild newspaper said.