“We cannot accept the Hamas hostage release proposal.”
3rd stage 6 week ceasefire negotiations suggest difficulties
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the 5th (local time) that “75% of the Hamas organization in the Gaza Strip has been destroyed,” and that “complete victory is the goal.”
According to the Times of Israel (TOI) and AFP, Prime Minister Netanyahu told the tank unit of the 8104th Battalion of the IDF (IDF) in Latrun, Israel, “We have eliminated more than half of the Hamas forces and destroyed 18 out of 24 units.” “Hamas tunnels are also collapsing and being destroyed,” he said.
“We are moving towards complete victory,” he said. “We are committed to this and will not give up,” he said, adding, “We will not end the war without achieving the goal of complete victory.”
He also emphasized at the Likud party meeting that “the goal is complete victory” and said, “We will eliminate the Hamas leadership, so we must continue to carry out operations throughout the Gaza Strip.”
He predicted that the war would “take months, not years.”
He continued, “If Israel is completely victorious, it will deal a fatal blow to the axis of evil: Iran, (Lebanon) Hezbollah, (Yemen) Houthis, and Hamas.”
In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that “Hamas is making demands that cannot be accepted” regarding hostage release/exchange and ceasefire negotiations. It is understood that the currently discussed stage 3, 6-week ceasefire discussions are still experiencing difficulties.
“We have already rescued 110 hostages and we are continuing to take action on this issue, but Hamas is making demands that we cannot accept,” he said. “It must be done similarly,” he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on this day and began his fifth trip to the Middle East since the start of the Gaza War. Secretary Blinken plans to visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank and work to release hostages, expand humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and reach a ceasefire agreement. It is also expected to convey the message that the series of U.S. airstrikes against pro-Iranian militias following the deaths of three U.S. soldiers should not lead to an escalation of war in the Middle East.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.