Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against the pressure to finalise a ceasefire deal in Gaza, after many went on strike in his country and US President Joe ဣBiden said he needed to do more to reach a deal.
He said that Israel will continue insisting on its control of the Philadephi corridor, a nar🍰row band along Gaza's border with E🍌gypt, where it contends Hamas smuggling weapons into Gaza.
Netanyahu's remarks were his first since the massive strike in Israel over the hostage crisis.🦂
Middle East Tensions | Latest Updates
No One Can Preach Me: Netanyahu
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at the pres𝕴sure oꦅf reaching a ceasefire deal and made his first comments since the recent mass protests over the hostage crisis.
Netanyahu said that he will continue to insist on Israeli control of the narrow ba𝓰nd along Gaza's border with Egypt—Philadelphi corridor. He said that this was neces🧸sary to keep Hamas from re-stocking its arms supply via tunnels, adding that, "This is the oxygen of Hamas".
The PM asserted that no one was more committed to freeing thﷺe hostages than him, but, "no one will preach to me".
US President Joe Biden had earlier said that Netanyahu was not doing enough to reach a ceasefire agreement, addin🌼g that the negotiators r🐻emain "very close" to a deal.
Netanyahu on Monday pledged "toওtal victory" over Hamas and blamed the militant group for tဣhe failure of negotiations.
He further said that he is ready t💞o carry out the first pha💟se of the ceasefire—a plan that would include the release of some hostages, partial pullout of Israeli troops and the release of some prisoners held by Israel.
However, Netanyahu rejected Hamas' key demand of a full w💫ithdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, saying that he does not see any other party besides his country to be capable of securing Gaza's borders and preventi𒊎ng arms smuggling.
It was also reported that there were deep differences betweenꦉ the PM and his top security officials including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the ceasefire deal.
Hamas Offered 'Great Flexibility'
Hamas' official leading the negotiations, Khalil al-Hayya, told Al Jazeera late Sunday that Netanyahu deemed keeping the Philadelphi 💦corridor "more important" than winning the rel🏅ease of hostages.
Al-Hay𒉰ya also said Hamas had offered "great flexibility", including reducing its demand for 500 Palestinian prisoners to be rele🥂ase in exchange for each captive Israeli soldier to 50 and from 250 Palestinian prisoners for each Israeli civilian hostage to 30.
Partial Arms Exports Suspended To Israel: UK
The United Kingdom on Monday announced a partial suspension of some arms exports to Israel amid feaಌr of them using it to commit "a serious violation of international humanitarian law".
UK Foreign Secretary David Lamm🍌y issued a statement in the House of Commons to 🏅declare that around 30 of 350 export licenses will be suspended, while pressing that it did not amount to a "blanket ban" or an "arms embargo".
Notably, the Labour Party government has been under pressure to take a tougher stance against Israel amid the war on Gaza, since being elected to power in the July general elections, The Associated Press reported.
"Facing a conflict such as༺ this, it is this government's legal duty to review Britain's export licenses," Lammy said🌜 in the Parliament.
"It is with regret that I inform the House today the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they ✅might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of intern🗹ational humanitarian law," he said.
Though UK does not directly supply weapo𝐆ns to Israel, it grants export licenses for British companies to sell arms to the country.
Lammy also reiterated that the UK continues to support Israel's right to self-defense in accordance with the internat🃏ional law, adding that it will continue to work with Israel to "tackle the threat fr🤡om Iran".
What Did Biden Say
US President Joe Biden held a Situation Room meeting with advisors involved in the negotiations to ꦐreach a hostage and ceasefire deal in Israel's war on Gaza.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Biden said that Netanyahu was not doing enough reach a ceasefire in the war, adding that the negotiators remain "very clo💧se" to a deal and "hope springs eternal".
Biden's statement came after a rare call for general strike in Israel to protest the failure to return hostages h💦eld in Gaza, which led to further disruptions around the country on Monday, including at its main international airport.
A sea of Israelis poured into the stre꧙ets late Sunday in grief and anger after six hostages were found in Gaza. The public blamed Netanyahu, saying that they could have been returned alive in a deal with Hamas to end the nearly 11-month-old war.
The war which began since Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, last year, has led to th🌳e loss of several thousands of lives. Hamas had taken over 200 hostages on the day, of which more than 100 were released during a ceasefire in November last year.
Hamas killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, while Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza claimed the live🌃s of over 40,00🐭0 Palestinians, as per health ministry officials.
The war has displaced the vast majority of Gaza's☂ 2.3 million people, ꦯoften multiple times, and plunged the besieged territory into a humanitarian catastrophe, including new fears of a polio outbreak.
