New Delhi: Amid the war with Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ruled out the possibility of ceasefire in Gaza till all the hostages are released, news agency AP reported. "Israel rejects a temporary ceasefire that does not involve the return of our hostages," Netanyahu said in a televised address.
PM Netanyahu was talking about 240 people who the Hamas had abducted during the surprise attack they unleashed on October 7. The Israeli Prime Minister said his country was pressing ahead with its military offensive with “all of its power.”
His statement comes after United States urged Israel for “humanitarian pauses” to enable more aid reached Gaza.
Reiterating US support for Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday on his third visit since the war began, said there should be a “substantial and immediate increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, where we need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians,” AP reported. He added that without it, “there are no partners for peace”.
Meanwhile, the White House urged Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group “not to take advantage of the Israel-Hamas war”, news agency AFP reported. This comes after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah stoked fears after he said that they were not afraid of the US warships and that "all options" were open for the Israel-Hamas conflict to escalate as he promised more attacks along the Lebanon border.
In his first public address since the war began, the Hezbollah chief said that his group got involved in the cross-border clashes over the past few weeks and that their “action won’t just be limited to this”.
According to the AP report, Hezbollah attacked the military positions in north Israel, injuring several civilians on Thursday.
“We are in a high state of readiness in the north, in a very high state of alert, to respond to any event today and in coming days,” Israel military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, as quoted by the news agency.