Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his country would not agree to a temporary truce in its war on Hamas without the release of hostages taken from Israel to Gaza. Following his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Netanyahu told reporters, “We’re continuing with all our force and Israel is refusing a temporary truce that doesn’t include the release of our hostages.”
“Israel will not permit the transfer of fuel to the Gaza Strip and opposes the transfer of funding to Gaza. Citizens of Israel, from the outbreak of war on that black sabbath, we have lost many civilians, fighters, soldiers, members of the security services, police, and emergency workers. We’ve lost incredible combat soldiers, beloved Israelis,” Netanyahu added.
Since the start of the conflict, both Israel and the US ruled out a blanket ceasefire which they said would allow Hamas to regroup and resupply.
A few days back, Netanyahu said that his government was not prepared to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, saying it would be “to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism.”
‘Palestinians at grave risk of genocide’: UN experts call for ceasefire
On Thursday, a group of independent United Nations experts called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying that time was running out for Palestinians in the war-torn region who were at a grave risk of genocide.
In a statement, the group of experts said, “We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide. We demand a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches those who need it the most.”
Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for “immediate” release of hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire.
“I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of a sustained humanitarian relief at a scale that meets the needs of the people of Gaza,” Guterres said during his visit to Nepal.
“We must join forces to end this nightmare for the people of Gaza, Israel and all those affected around the world,” he added.
