Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again rejected the idea of a cease-fire in Gaza unless all Israeli hostages are released.
Netanyahu has come under immense pressure from President Joe Biden and top administration officials for temporary “humanitarian” pauses in the fighting so more aid can enter Gaza and more civilians can escape the fighting in the Palestinian territory.
Biden and Netanyahu discussed the matter as recently as Monday, according to the White House, though no apparent agreement was reached.
“Well, there’ll be no cease-fire, general cease-fire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said.
“As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there. We’ve had them before, I suppose, will check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages to leave. But I don’t think there’s going to be a general cease-fire.”
Netanyahu added, “I think it will hamper the war effort. It’ll hamper our effort to get our hostages out because the only thing that works on these criminals in Hamas is the military pressure that we’re exerting.”
Nearly 11,000 people are believed to have died since Israel began its retaliatory attacks on Hamas
About 1,400 Israelis were killed and over 200 were abducted in a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
