Bibi refuses temporary Gaza cease-fire after meeting with Blinken who urged ‘pause’
Netanyahu says Israel will use ‘all of its power’ on Hamas
NEW YORK POST
WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that his country would not consider halting its war on Hamas, rejecting Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call for “humanitarian pauses” to allow civilians out of the Gaza Strip.
Israel “refuses a temporary cease-fire that doesn’t include a return of our hostages,” Netanyahu told reporters, referring to the more than 200 people taken captive by terrorists during their Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,400 Israelis — including at least 33 Americans.
The prime minister spoke after a meeting with Blinken, during which America’s top diplomat urged Netanyahu to stop the conflict to minimize Palestinian civilian deaths as Israel pursues Hamas jihadists hiding among the population in Gaza.
“Humanitarian pauses … increase security for civilians and permit the more effective and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance,” Blinken said during a press conference Friday morning. “We are focused on getting hostages back to their families and we believe a humanitarian pause could facilitate it.”
The prime minister spoke after a meeting with Blinken (left), during which America’s top diplomat urged Netanyahu to pause the conflict to minimize Palestinian civilian deaths. EyePress News/Shutterstock
“That was an important area of discussion today with Israeli leaders — how, when and where these can be implemented, what work needs to happen, and what understandings must be reached,” he added.
But during his own press briefing shortly after, Netanyahu said his country would continue hitting the Gaza Strip with “all of its power.”
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told The Post Friday that a “pause” is currently “not on the table.”
“We’re fighting. We’re in the first stages of a war against an enemy that has proven that we can not allow that enemy to continue to exist at the end of this war. There’s a lot of talk about a lot of things, but many of them are not relevant. This specifically is one of them,” Conricus said.
The IDF is always “flexible to do creative things” regarding hostages and will act in accordance with instructions from Netanyahu’s war Cabinet, Conricus added, “but related to the situation on the ground, we’re fighting.”
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It’s the latest indication of subtle tension between the White House and Israel over how the Jewish state is handling the conflict, as the Biden administration continues urging Israel to pull its punches as the ground assault grinds on.
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“Humanitarian pauses … increase security for civilians and permit the more effective and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance,” Blinken said during a press conference Friday morning. AP
In addition to the temporary pauses, the US has been pushing Israel to allow humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza. Blinken said officials “identified mechanisms to enable fuel to reach hospitals and other needs in southern Gaza Strip” during their meeting.
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Header featured image (edited) credit: Netanyahu/AP photo/org. article
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