President Biden on Monday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to commit to a three-day pause in fighting in Gaza to help free some hostages held by Hamas, according to a report.
Biden’s comments in his emergency phone call with Netanyahu came as a proposal was discussed between the US, Israel and Qatar in which Hamas reportedly agreed to release 10-15 hostages during the pause, a US official told Axios.
During those three days, Hamas will supposedly confirm the identities of all the terrorist group’s hostages and release a full list of the captives, according to the report.
However, US and Israeli officials told the newspaper that Netanyahu was reluctant to make such a deal because he did not believe Hamas would withstand his termination.
His booking stems from the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, when terrorists attacked a group of Israeli soldiers, kidnapping one of them and killing several others during a humanitarian pause, Israeli officials told Axios.
President Biden reportedly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to commit to a humanitarian pause to secure the release of Hamas-held hostages.REUTERS Biden and Netanyahu spoke during an emergency phone call on Monday.via REUTERS
The White House declined to comment on the conversation, saying it does not publicly discuss the president’s private phone calls.
“[Biden and Netanyahu] discussed possible tactical pauses to allow civilians the opportunity to safely depart from areas of ongoing combat, to ensure aid reaches civilians in need, and to allow for the release of potential hostages,” the White House said in a statement about the call.
Netanyahu said Monday in his first interview with US media since the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict that he expects Israeli forces to remain in Gaza for an “indefinite period.”
Palestinians search through a building, destroyed during an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip on November 7, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Getty Images IDF troops have moved into northern Gaza after ordering the evacuation of a million Palestinians.Xinhua/Shutterstock
“As for the ceasefire, the president himself has said that the ceasefire will be a surrender to Hamas, it will be a victory for Hamas,” the prime minister said.
However, he said there may be an opportunity for a “tactical pause” to rescue the hostages and provide aid to the millions of Palestinians in the besieged area.
“I think we will review the situation to allow goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to go out, but I don’t think there will be a general ceasefire,” Netanyahu added.
Hamas is still holding about 180 hostages seized when it launched an attack on Israel on October 7, two Israeli officials told Axios. An additional 40 people were detained by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and another 20 were detained by other militant factions.
More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, mostly civilians, during the Hamas surprise attack that sparked the war.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, the death toll of Palestinians has exceeded 10,000. The Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
The IDF has relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes as it continues its push into northern Gaza and Gaza City, home to the Hamas leadership.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
