GEORGE TOWN — On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear in Jerusalem that his government has no plans to halt its offensive against Hamas. In response to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call for “humanitarian pauses” to allow civilians to evacuate the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu made the above comment. Netanyahu turned down the invitation.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel “refuses a temporary cease-fire that doesn’t include a return of our hostages,” referring to the more than 200 people seized by terrorists on October 7 who killed more than 1,400 Israelis, including at least 33 Americans. During their attack, terrorists grabbed hostages, which Netanyahu alluded to.
Israel is pursuing Hamas fighters hiding among the people of Gaza, and the prime minister made his comments after meeting with Blinken, the senior diplomat in the United States, in an effort to reduce the number of casualties among Palestinian civilians. Following the discussion, the prime minister made his remarks.
Blinken attended a news conference on Friday morning and said that “humanitarian pauses” improve civilian security and enable for the more efficient and continuous distribution of humanitarian aid. “Reuniting hostages with their families is our top priority, and we believe a temporary halt to hostilities could help make that happen.””That was an important area of discussion today with Israeli leaders — how, when, and where these can be implemented, as well as what work needs to happen, and what understandings must be reached,” according to him.Soon after, however, Netanyahu addressed the press and said that Israel would keep attacking the Gaza Strip with “all of its power.”
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an IDF spokeswoman, told The Post on Friday that a “pause” is currently “not on the table.”
There’s a scuffle in progress. We are in the early phases of a battle against an adversary who has proved that we cannot permit that adversary to continue to exist after this conflict is done. Because of this enemy’s behavior, we know now that we cannot succeed. Many different issues are being discussed, yet the vast majority of them are irrelevant. “This particular instance is one of them,” Conricus stated.
Conricus said that IDF soldiers are “flexible to do creative things” with prisoners, but that “but related to the situation on the ground, we’re fighting.” The IDF would follow orders from Netanyahu’s war cabinet.This is the most recent indication of tension between the White House and Israel over the latter’s handling of the conflict. This is only the latest example of the strain caused by the Biden administration’s repeated calls for Israel to scale back its ground attack.
On Wednesday in Minnesota, a constituent heckled Vice President Joe Biden during a campaign speech, prompting Biden to say, “I think we need a pause.”Despite Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant telling the secretary that Israel is not interested in seeking a break in the conflict, Blinken indicated that the United States and Israel had explored ways to make a temporary suspension of hostilities more achievable.
“A number of legitimate questions were raised by Israel, including how to connect the pause to the release of hostages and how to make sure that Hamas is not using these pauses to its own advantage,” said Blinken. “Among these legitimate questions is how to make sure that Hamas is not using these pauses to its own advantage.” “These are issues that we need to address as quickly as possible, and we believe that they can be solved.”
The United States has been pressuring Israel to allow the transport of humanitarian aid into Gaza during the frequent lulls in fighting. Blinken reports that during their meeting, the authorities “identified mechanisms to enable fuel to reach hospitals and other needs in southern Gaza Strip.”Despite Blinken’s conclusions, Netanyahu released a statement declaring Israel “won’t allow entry of fuel to Gaza and objects to transfer of money to Gaza.” This was in response to Blinken’s investigation.Blinken said, “Israel raised appropriate concern about Hamas hoarding fuel in northern Gaza,” and that this is a concern “we share.”
Blinken met with President Isaac Herzog and members of the Israeli defense cabinet during his Friday visit to Israel.