Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would not stop the war in Gaza “for now”, as renewed efforts towards a ceasefire continue.
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem marking the 14th month of Hamas’ war against Palestinian operatives, he said, “If we end the war now, Hamas will come back, recover, rebuild and attack us again.” Will do – and that’s where we don’t want to go.” Back”
Netanyahu reiterated that he has set the goal of “destroying Hamas, eliminating its military and administrative capabilities” to prevent future attacks, but said the objective had not yet been accomplished.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 23 that Israel had “succeeded in dismantling Hamas’s military capability” and eliminating its senior leadership. With those successes, he said, it was now time to “get the hostages home and end the war with an understanding of what comes next.”
In recent days, there have been signs that months-long ceasefire and hostage release talks may be resuming and achieving a breakthrough.
Chief mediator Qatar said on Saturday that the election of Donald Trump in the United States had created new “momentum” for talks.
A source close to the Hamas delegation said at the same time that Turkey as well as Egypt and Qatar were “making commendable efforts to stop the war” and that a new round of talks could begin soon.
On Sunday, the prime minister met with families of hostages being held in Gaza and said Israel’s war on Hezbollah and Hamas would facilitate negotiations for their release.
Protesters, including relatives of hostages, have repeatedly called for a deal to free the captives and accused them of prolonging the war.
The war in Gaza began with a Hamas offensive on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
During the attack, operatives also abducted 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the military says are dead.
Israeli counterattacks in Gaza have killed at least 44,758 people, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry that are considered reliable by the United Nations.
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