E-Paper
‘Cannot pressure us to end war’: Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza truce
Israel-Hamas War: Hamas from the Gaza Strip attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed international calls to end the Gaza war calling them inconsistent with supporting the war-aim of eliminating Hamas. Briefing his cabinet, Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told the leaders of France, Germany and other countries, "You cannot on the one hand support the elimination of Hamas and on other pressure us to end the war, which would prevent the elimination of Hamas".
This comes as fighting raged in the Gaza Strip in the third month of war between Israel and Hamas. Hamas from the Gaza Strip attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The militant group took around 240 hostages -- 137 of whom remain in Gaza, officials have said. In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, launching a military offensive in Gaza that has killed at least 17,700 people, mostly women and children.
Read more: Hamas' warning to Israel: 'No hostage will leave alive unless…'
During a seven-day truce that expired on December 1, Hamas released 105 hostages including dozens of Israelis who were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Mediator Qatar said that efforts to secure a new truce and release more hostages were ongoing. The Qatar PM warned that the relentless Israeli bombardment was "narrowing the window" for a successful outcome.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization chief said that it will be all but impossible to improve the "catastrophic" health situation in Gaza. The emergency action, proposed by Afghanistan, Qatar, Yemen and Morocco, seeks passage into Gaza for medical personnel and supplies.
"I must be frank with you: these tasks are almost impossible in the current circumstances," WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
