After Israel announced it would let a “basic amount” of food into the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said it was necessary to prevent a famine for “diplomatic reasons”.

In Gaza, rescuers said air strikes killed at least 22 people, after the military announced it had begun “extensive ground operations” against Hamas.

“The fighting is intense and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on Telegram.

“We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped.”

Israel has come under mounting international pressure, including from key backer the United States, to lift a total blockade it imposed on Gaza more than two months ago.

“We must not let the population (of Gaza) sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,” Netanyahu said, adding that even friends of Israel would not tolerate “images of mass starvation”.

In a report this month, the UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza was at “critical risk of famine”, with 22 percent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian “catastrophe”.

‘Reduced to starvation’

Israel said its blockade since March 2 was aimed at forcing concessions from the Palestinian militant group, but UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.