Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pushed back against growing U.S. pressure for a “humanitarian pause” in the nearly month-old war to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza, insisting there would be no temporary cease-fire until the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas are released.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his third trip to Israel since the war began, reiterating American support for Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas after its brutal Oct. 7 attack in Israel. He also echoed President Joe Biden’s calls for a brief halt in the fighting to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Alarm has grown over spiraling Palestinian deaths and deepening misery for civilians from weeks of Israeli bombardment and a widening ground assault that risks even greater casualties. Overwhelmed hospitals say they are nearing collapse, with medicine and fuel running low under the Israeli siege. About 1.5 million people in Gaza, or 70% of the population, have fled their homes, the United Nations said Friday.
The average Gaza resident now relies on only two pieces of bread per day, with much of it being sourced from stockpiled U.N. flour, as reported by Thomas White, the Gaza director for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. There is also a growing demand for drinking water in the region.
“People have moved beyond searching for bread,” he conveyed to U.N. diplomats in a video briefing from Gaza. “Now, it’s about searching for water.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Following discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Secretary of State Blinken emphasized the necessity of a temporary halt to aid deliveries in order to increase humanitarian assistance and facilitate the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its forceful incursion.
But Netanyahu said he told Blinken that Israel was “going with full steam ahead” unless hostages are released.