Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out a ceasefire this Wednesday (20). Gaza in Israel's war against Hamas without first achieving the “elimination” of the terrorist organization.
“We will continue the war until the end. It will continue until the elimination of Hamas, until victory. Those who think we will stop are living disconnected from reality,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office after Hamas pursued calls for a “wartime ceasefire” to allow the release of hostages.
“We will not stop the fighting until we achieve our goals: eliminating Hamas, releasing the hostages and suppressing the threat from Gaza,” he added.
The Israeli Prime Minister's statements are consistent with those Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's trip to Egypt this Wednesdayto take part in talks on a ceasefire in Gaza.
A Hamas leader told AFP that “a complete ceasefire and withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army from Gaza were necessary conditions for any exchange” between Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
In addition, the UN Security Council (United Nations) is debating a draft resolution this week to speed up the deployment of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The original draft resolution called for a “permanent cessation” of hostilities, but the vote was postponed twice. Now Security Council members are looking for a suitable formula to avoid a veto from the United States, Israel's main ally.