In the midst of mounting American dissatisfaction with his administration’s handling of the conflict, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated during a cabinet meeting on Sunday that Israel cannot and will not bow to international pressure to halt its military assault in Gaza.
He claimed that some in the international community are attempting to end the war before all of its objectives have been met. They are attempting to achieve this by trying to hold elections at this point in the conflict. They realize that holding elections now will put an end to the conflict and render the nation immobile for at least half a year, which is why they are acting in this way.
Netanyahu added, “We will not allow the war to end before all of its objectives are met, as this would mean that Israel has lost the conflict.
His remarks were in reaction to a speech given on Thursday by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the nation’s most senior Jewish politician and a steadfast supporter of Israel, in which he warned that Israel risks becoming a pariah under Netanyahu and advocated for fresh elections. Later, President Biden commended Schumer for a well-crafted speech.
Netanyahu said, that “we are not a banana nation,” in response to Schumer’s remarks, saying they were completely out of place on CNN’s State of the Union.
More than half of Gaza’s population is taking refuge in the southern city of Rafah, and Netanyahu pledged on Sunday to move on with his military’s plan to strike it.
Netanyahu declared, “We are going to function in Rafah.” He said it was the only way to achieve the two declared objectives of the nation for its war in Gaza, which were to destroy Hamas and liberate the remaining hostages.
A large number of Rafah’s 1.5 million residents are expected to be directed onto “humanitarian islands” in central Gaza by Israel’s military last week, in advance of the onslaught that President Biden has warned will cross a red line.
The United States will not support a Rafah operation unless and until [Israel] can accept the 1.5 million refugees who are already there and ensure their safety and security, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reaffirmed on ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
Aid organizations are also urging moderation. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization, expressed his “severe anxiety” over Israel’s plan to strike Rafah on Saturday and urged Israel to halt the operation.
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the most recent Israeli ally to advocate for boosting supplies to Gaza, cautioned that “we shouldn’t sit by and watch Palestinians risk poverty” during a meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday. Scholz declared that the distribution circumstances had to be “immediately, dramatically altered” and that “our team need a hostage solution with an enduring cease-fire.”
Humanitarian organizations claim that the besieged enclave is on the verge of starvation and are pleading with Israel to allow additional relief supplies and open more entry points into the region. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on Saturday that acute malnutrition is currently affecting one-third of children under the age of two in northern Gaza, and that the levels of child malnutrition are “rare.”
Residents informed The Washington Post that twelve supply trucks entered northern Gaza on Saturday night, escorted by members of the civil police force in Gaza as well as notable families and neighborhood associations. Speaking through spokeswomen, the World Food Program and the United N
ations Relief and Works Agency said that they had no involvement in the storage or distribution of the aid, characterizing it as a private effort.
Here are some more details according to Netanyahu:
According to an Israeli official, Israel’s war and security cabinets met on Sunday night to consider Israel’s reaction to Hamas’s demand for a cease-fire and the return of its hostages. who, due to the delicate nature of the discussions, spoke on the condition of anonymity. According to Netanyahu’s office, an Israeli delegation will proceed to Qatar to carry on the hostage negotiations.
A second ship is getting ready to go for Gaza with 240 tons of food aid and machinery on board according to World Central Kitchen, a U.S. nonprofit organization that was established from the port of Larance, Cyprus, by celebrity chef José Andrés. The first shipment of food supplies, estimated to weigh close to 200 tons, arrived in Gaza on Saturday, according to the organization, and currently is being “readied” for distribution.
Since the start of the conflict, at least 31,645 people have died and 73,676 have been wounded in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry, which does not make a distinction between soldiers and civilians, claims. Israel claims that 249 troops have died since the beginning of Hamas’ military offensive in Gaza, and it believes that 1,200 Palestinians were murdered in the group’s Oct. 7 onslaught.
The first sections of the floating dock that the US plans to build off the coast of Gaza are on their way. Kirby informed ABC that the estimated time for the arrival and assembly of all pieces is six to eight weeks. He stated, “We work together with nations in the region to establish the parameters of the material’s delivery inside Gaza as well as its security on and off its floating dock.”
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