Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated on Monday termed the ceasefire in Gaza a surrender to Hamas. He rejected the ceasefire demand and said the ground forces are operating inside Gaza, and airstrikes continue to target the Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu, addressing foreign press after a meeting with his war cabinet, reported that Israeli forces are making systematic progress against Hamas in response to the October 7 attacks, the deadliest in the country’s history.
These intensified military operations have raised concerns for the 2.4 million residents of Gaza, where the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports more than 8,300 casualties. It included half of children and women.
During the press briefing, Netanyahu emphasized that a ceasefire would be tantamount to surrendering to Hamas, which, according to the latest Israeli figures, was responsible for the deaths of 1,400 people and the capture of more than 230 hostages.
Reports from northern Gaza indicated ongoing air and artillery strikes on Monday as Israeli troops, supported by tanks, conducted a ground assault into the enclave. These actions have spurred further international calls for the protection of civilians.
Israel’s military disclosed that it had targeted more than 600 militant sites in recent days as ground operations in the Gaza Strip continued to expand.
As the conflict entered its fourth week, Palestinian civilians were facing severe shortages of fuel, food, and clean water.
Meanwhile, former NATO Chief Javier Solana characterized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the “worst politician” in the history of Israel. Solana expressed skepticism about recent events in Israel and Palestine. He suggested these events might lead to Netanyahu’s exit from Israeli politics.
He noted that President Joe Biden doesn’t have a favorable view of Netanyahu. Biden has actively worked to discourage Netanyahu from repeating U.S. mistakes, especially in the context of post-9/11 Iraq.
Solana pointed out that there isn’t a strong rapport between Biden and Netanyahu. In fact, Biden never hosted Netanyahu in the White House.
The former NATO Chief criticized Netanyahu’s attempts to strengthen his authority through judicial reforms in a bid to turn himself into an autocrat.
