United States, ally of Israelinsisted that it is “time to finalize” a truce agreement in Gaza, despite the fact that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahuwarned that he would not give in to pressure to reach an agreement with Hamas.
“There are dozens of hostages still in Gazawaiting for an agreement that will bring them back home. It is time to finalize that agreement,” said the spokesman State Department, Matthew Miller.
His statements come just two days after the Israeli army announced the discovery of six bodies of hostages in tunnels of the Gaza Strip, killed, according to the armed body, by gunshot wounds.
The hostages were captured and taken to Gaza in an attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on October 7 in southern Gaza. Israel. The retaliation has left tens of thousands dead in the Palestinian territory, which was the target of new bombings on Tuesday.
The discovery of the bodies brought thousands of people out onto the streets on Monday and triggered a general strike in Israel, in an attempt to increase pressure for the government to reach an agreement with Hamas to allow the release of the hostages still in Gaza.
The US diplomatic spokesman said that Washington will work “in the coming days” with the mediators Egypt y Qatar “to push for a definitive agreement.”
For his part, the American president, Joe Biden, On Monday, he reproached Netanyahu for not doing enough to achieve a truce agreement, which would include the release of Palestinian hostages and prisoners held by Israel.
Netanyahu, however, stressed that he would not give in to pressure and would maintain military pressure on Hamas, which governs Gaza and is considered an organization “terrorist” by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
After publicly asking for “forgiveness for not having returned alive” the hostages found dead, Netanyahu accused Hamas of having “executed” them with a “bullet in the back of the head” and promised that the Islamist movement will pay “a very high price.”
“I will not give in to pressure (…) No one can lecture me on this,” he said.
In this context, he reaffirmed the need for Israel to maintain control of the Philadelphia corridor, along the border between Gaza and Egypt, a stumbling block in the talks.
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2024-09-07 16:06:31