Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a special press conference Saturday night held after the assassination attempt on Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif and Khan Younis Brigade Commander Rafa Salama that "there is still no absolute certainty that the two were eliminated."
"One way or another, we will reach the top of Hamas," He added, noting that before approving the strike, he sought to ensure there were no hostages in the vicinity, assess the expected collateral damage and determine the type of munitions the Air Force would use.
Netanyahu stressed that "the war will not end until we achieve all war objectives—this is the absolute victory."
"We are identifying significant cracks in Hamas. We see weakness. Hamas leaders are hiding in underground tunnels. We are fighting and winning," he added.
The brief news conference was called after the IDF said it had conducted a strike based on what it said was precise intelligence, targeting Deif and senior Hamas commander Rafa Salama in the city of Khan Younis.
Palestinian health officials said the strike killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded as many as 300 in the designated humanitarian zone of Al Mawasi, in the heaviest loss of life in weeks.
The IDF said the strike had hit a military compound but said it could not confirm casualty numbers.
Netanyahu also addressed the families of the hostages, saying, "The hostages are in our hearts at every moment. We have a moral responsibility to bring them all home. Only through pressure will we succeed in bringing the hostages back."
Netanyahu said that he believed that little progress was made on an agreement for the release of the hostages due to insufficient military pressure on Hamas. "For months, there was no progress because the military pressure was not strong enough," he said.
He said he would not compromise on Israel's basic demands for a deal. "I haven't moved a millimeter from the framework that President Biden presented," he said. "But I am also not letting Hamas move a millimeter."
Addressing the continuous attacks by Hezbollah on the northern border, the premier said "We are not willing to accept the situation in the north. One way or another."