Benjamin Netanyahu remains uncompromising on his offensive against the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Prime Minister declared on Monday that his country would have “general responsibility for the security” of this territory for an “indefinite period”, once the war with Hamas had ended, once again rejecting a cease-fire. -fire.
Asked on ABC News about who should govern after the war, Benjamin Netanyahu replied: “those who do not want to continue on the path of Hamas.” On “overall responsibility for security” in Gaza, “we have seen what happens when we don’t have it: (…) we are witnessing the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we could not imagine “.
Guterres calls for an end to “the humanitarian nightmare”
During this interview, Netanyahu once again rejected the idea of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, “without releasing the hostages” kidnapped by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7. Earlier, UN chief Antonio Guterres had called for an end to “the humanitarian nightmare in Gaza” which had become “a cemetery for children”.
“As for the small tactical breaks – an hour here, an hour there – we have already had them,” added Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli Prime Minister was thus referring to a statement from the White House, according to which American President Joe Biden had discussed with him the “possibility of tactical pauses”, “to provide civilians with opportunities to safely leave combat zones , ensure aid reaches civilians in need and enable the potential release of hostages.”
“I assume we will look at the circumstances to allow goods – humanitarian goods – to come in or our hostages to leave. But I don’t think there will be a general ceasefire,” Benjamin Netanyahu repeated. “This would hamper our efforts to get our hostages out, because the only thing that works on these criminals and on Hamas is the military pressure we exert.”
The question of responsibilities will come “after the war”
Also asked about his responsibility in the attack of October 7, the Prime Minister replied: “Of course”. “There is no doubt about it and it must be resolved after the war,” he said, adding that his government had “clearly” failed to meet its obligation to protect its people.
Since October 7, more than 1,400 people have died in Israel according to the authorities, mainly civilians. Hamas also took more than 240 hostages to Gaza. Israeli bombings in retaliation on the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has been in power since 2007, left 10,022 dead, mostly civilians including more than 4,000 children, according to the report from the Hamas Health Ministry on Monday.