By Luis de Jesus
03 Nov 2023, 18:12 PM EDT
Israel continues the offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, which on October 7 committed a massacre in Israeli territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected this Friday a temporary ceasefire if the release of the 241 hostages he took is not guaranteed.
“We continue with all our strength and Israel refuses a temporary truce that does not include the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said after a meeting with Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State.
The American official, who returned to Tel Aviv this Friday for the third time since the conflict broke out almost a month ago. He also had a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The intention of the Joe Biden government is to achieve a temporary ceasefire in the strip that allows the departure of foreigners and the entry of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
In Gaza, more than 9,250 people have died in this period due to the Israeli offensive, most of them children and women, and more than 23,500 have been injured, according to the Gazan authorities, Efe indicated.
“When it comes to protecting civilians, who are caught in the crossfire created by Hamas, everything must be done to protect them,” Blinken said.
The secretary affirmed that the US administration will do everything possible to rescue those kidnapped. He also called for a ceasefire to guarantee their safety, as well as the evacuation of wounded Palestinians and the sending of more humanitarian aid to civilians in the strip.
The Prime Minister of Israel affirmed that his country “will not stop” until victory and stressed that this means the destruction of the Hamas terrorists, the return of the hostages to their families and the restoration of security.
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• Hamas terrorist recounts how he killed and tortured women and minors when the war started