Israel Says Intensive Phase of War With Hamas Will Soon End

This photo taken Jan. 15, 2024, from Rafah shows a flare and smoke billowing over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment, amid battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. In this image from video taken Oct. 7, 2023, a Hamas fighter holds a Russian-designed 9M32 Strela anti-aircraft weapon. An Associated Press analysis of combat photos shows Hamas has amassed a patchwork arsenal of weapons from around the world. An Israeli soldier sits inside a military vehicle, near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, Jan. 15, 2024. People attend a 24-hour rally calling for the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas militants into the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 14, 2024. Sunday marked 100 days of war between Israel and Hamas. Judges and parties sit during a hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, Jan. 12, 2024.

Israel’s defense minister said Monday that the intensive phase of Israel’s war with Hamas would soon end, but he ruled out a cease-fire.