Tel Aviv, March 17 (IANS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting criticised those "in the international community who are trying to stop the war now, before all its goals are achieved," media reported.

Netanyahu's comments are likely a reference to calls last week for elections in Israel from US Senator Chuck Schumer, and growing criticism from the White House over Netanyahu's conduct of the war, The Times of Israel reported.

The Prime Minister added that those who want to stop the war do so "by making false accusations against the IDF, against the Israeli government and against the Prime Minister of Israel. They do this by trying to bring about elections now, in the midst of the war".

Turning to Israel's "friends in the international community," Netanyahu asked pointedly: "Is your memory so short? Did you forget so quickly October 7, the most terrible massacre committed against Jews since the Holocaust? Are you so quickly ready to deny Israel the right to defend itself against the monsters of Hamas? Did you lose your moral conscience so quickly?"

He called for international pressure to be put on Hamas and Iran, rather than Israel, The Times of Israel reported.

"No amount of international pressure will stop us from realising all the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat against Israel," insists Netanyahu.

"We must not give in to these pressures, and we will not give in to them," Netanyahu stressed.

He also promised that the IDF will operate in Rafah, "carefully".

"It will take a few weeks, and it will happen," he said.

"Those who say that the operation in Rafah will not happen are the same ones who said that we will not enter Gaza, that we will not operate in Shifa, that we will not operate in Khan Younis and that we will not resume fighting after the (weeklong November) ceasefire," Netanyahu added.