2024-02-08 03:01:00
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahustated this Wednesday that greater military pressure on the Gaza Strip until “absolute victory” is achieved, will cause Hamas to release all the hostages, thus rejecting the demands of the Islamist group for a possible truce.
“Continuing military pressure is a necessary condition to free the hostages, succumbing to Hamas will only lead to another massacre,” Netanyahu said. in a press conference, where he stressed that the war will end in a matter of months due to the progress of Israeli troops in their ground offensive on Gaza.
“The Army achieved unprecedented achievements, while continuing to kill terrorists, destroying command centers, military infrastructure and the tunnels where Hamas hides,” the premier explained, while insisting that Israel will maintain control over the enclave once the conflict ends. war and will seek to ensure that it is demilitarized forever.
The Hamas proposal
With his statements, Netanyahu publicly rejected the conditions demanded by Hamas to release the more than one hundred Israeli hostages still in the Strip. The Islamist organization proposed a truce agreement of three phases of 45 days eachwhose draft was delivered on Tuesday night to the mediators of the conflict, Qatar and Egypt, within the framework of their positive response to making a pact with Israel.
In the first phase, the hostages, women and children (under 19, non-military), the elderly and the sick, would be released in exchange for a specific number of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas also demands the withdrawal of the Israeli air forces from populated areas of the Strip, the entry of more humanitarian aid and the beginning of the reconstruction of hospitals and homes, along with the establishment of temporary camps.
In a second phase, all the kidnapped men would be released in exchange for a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinian prisoners, as well as a complete withdrawal of the Israeli Army from Palestinian territory. In the third phase, the lifeless bodies of hostages, at least 27, and other prisoners already deceased would be exchanged at the hands of both Israel and Hamas.
Although both sides have their positions defined, negotiations will continue. Egypt will host a new round of talks with Qatar this Thursday in Cairo with the aim of calming the situation and reaching a truce to free the prisoners and hostages, and put an end to the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
Heading to Rafah
Meanwhile on the front lines, The fighting is concentrated in the south of the Strip, especially in Khan Yunis, where Israeli Defense Forces soldiers made targeted raids. According to a military statement, the troops killed Islamists and located AK-47 rifles, grenades, explosive devices and tunnel mouths.
Israeli troops now intend to direct their operations towards Rafah in ehe extreme south of the enclave, where more than a million displaced civilians are crowded since the war began four months ago. It also borders Egypt and, if taken, would ensure Israel’s land control of the entire Strip.
According to him Canal 12 of Israel, the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken met this Wednesday with Netanyahu and the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, to whom he expressed the US’s concern about the possible operation in Rafah.
The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterresstated that he is alarmed by the consequences that the new offensive may bring. “This action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with unforeseeable consequences for the region,” he warned.. He also stressed that while nothing justifies the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas militants in October, there are also no excuses for the collective punishment that Israel is inflicting on the Palestinian population.
The number of victims increases
More than a hundred Palestinians died in the last 24 hours and the total death toll rose to 27,708, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. “The Israeli occupation committed 16 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 123 martyrs and 169 injuries during the last 24 hours,” reported ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qedra. He estimated the number of injured in 67,147 and they calculate 8,000 bodies under the rubble.
The Palestinian ministry announced that There are 11,000 wounded and sick with an urgent need to leave the enclave to receive treatment because hospitals – especially in northern Gaza – continue to operate partially.. “We need medical supplies, fuel and the return of medical personnel from the south to continue their work,” the spokesperson said.