Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again dismissed the notion of a cease-fire in Gaza unless hostages are released. He also discussed the future of Gaza post-war in an exclusive interview with ABC News “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir.
President Joe Biden and key administration officials have been urging Israel to consider temporary “humanitarian” pauses in the conflict to allow for more aid to enter Gaza and for civilians to evacuate the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
Biden and Netanyahu recently discussed this matter, but as per the White House, there doesn’t appear to be a clear agreement on this issue. National security council spokesperson John Kirby noted that the administration sees the parties as being at the “beginning of this conversation.”once again dismissed
When questioned by David Muir about the possibility of a humanitarian pause, shortly after his conversation with Biden, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “Well, there’ll be no cease-fire, general cease-fire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages.” He explained that while there might be occasional tactical pauses, lasting an hour here or there, these would be considered to assess the circumstances and allow for the entry of humanitarian goods or the departure of individual hostages. However, he expressed his doubts about the likelihood of a comprehensive general cease-fire.