Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his new plan to expand the war in Gaza and target the remaining Hamas strongholds was the best way to end the war, defying growing calls to stop the fighting.

Defending his plan in a press conference in Jerusalem, the premier said the new operation would be implemented on a fairly short timetable aiming to bring the war to an end.

More than 22 months into the war, sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel, the country is gripped by a yawning divide pitting those demanding an end to the conflict and a deal for the release of the hostages against others who want to see the Palestinian militants vanquished once and for all.

But Netanyahu was defiant on Sunday, telling journalists: it is the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily.

The premier said the new operation’s aim was “to dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps”, while establishing secure corridors and safe zones to allow civilians to leave the area.