JERUSALEM — On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a Gaza cease-fire that his country’s main partner, the United States, chose not to reject. He said the resolution empowered Hamas and pledged to continue the fight.
As the war enters its sixth month, both Israel and Hamas have rejected cease-fire proposals, both maintaining that their version of triumph is within grasp. The passing of the U.N. resolution has further heightened tensions between the United States and Israel during the course of the conflict.
Israel And Hamas Dig In As Pressure Builds For A Cease-Fire In Gaza
Netanyahu has stated that Israel can only achieve its goals of eliminating Hamas and releasing dozens of captives if it pushes its military offensive to the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population has sought refuge, many in overcrowded tent camps. The United States has stated that a massive assault on Rafah would be a mistake.
Hamas has stated that it will hold the captives until Israel agrees to a more permanent cease-fire, withdraws its soldiers from Gaza, and releases hundreds of Palestinian inmates, including prominent terrorists. It said late Monday that it had rejected a recent plan that fell short of those objectives and, if implemented, would allow it to claim an enormously costly triumph.
In a statement, Netanyahu noted that the declaration “proved clearly that Hamas is not interested in continuing negotiations toward a deal and served as unfortunate testimony to the damage of the Security Council decision.”
“Israel will not surrender to Hamas’ delusional demands and will continue to act to achieve all the goals of the war: releasing all the hostages, destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and ensuring that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel has killed around 32,000 Palestinians, with almost two-thirds of them being women and children. The ministry’s total does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The war has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip, uprooted the majority of its citizens, and pushed one-third of its 2.3 million population to the verge of hunger.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that Marwan Issa, the deputy chief of Hamas’ armed branch in Gaza, was killed in an airstrike earlier this month. Issa helped orchestrate the October 7 attack. Issa is the highest-ranking Hamas leader murdered in Gaza since the war began. According to military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Issa was killed when fighter jets targeted an underground complex in central Gaza on March 9-10.
An Israeli strike late Monday on a residential structure in Rafah where three displaced families were sheltering killed at least 16 individuals, including nine children and four women, according to hospital records and family members. An Associated Press reporter witnessed the dead arriving at a hospital.
Israel And Hamas Dig In As Pressure Builds For A Cease-Fire In Gaza
In response to Hamas’ requests for a more permanent cease-fire, Netanyahu has pledged to resume Israel’s offensive following any hostage release and continue fighting until the militant group is annihilated. However, he provided little ideas about what would happen after such a triumph and rejected the United States’ postwar vision.
That policy has led him into increasingly open conflict with President Joe Biden’s administration, which has expressed growing concern over civilian losses yet continuing to provide Israel with critical military help and supporting Israel’s goal of eradicating Hamas.
The approval of Monday’s resolution by the United Nations Security Council widened the tensions. The resolution asked for the release of all hostages held in Gaza but did not make the cease-fire conditional on it. The Biden administration, which has previously vetoed U.N. resolutions calling for a cease-fire, abstained from Monday’s vote, letting it succeed.
In reaction, Netanyahu canceled Israeli officials’ scheduled visit to Washington, during which the U.S. was expected to provide options for a ground assault in Rafah.
The action sparked accusations in Israeli media that Netanyahu was undermining Israel’s most vital partnership to appease hardliners in his ruling coalition.
“He is willing to compromise Israel’s relations with the United States for a brief political-media coup. “He has completely lost it,” commented Ben Caspit, a famous commentator for Israel’s Maariv daily.
He claimed that Netanyahu has tested U.S. patience by delaying the delivery of more humanitarian goods to Gaza and the development of postwar plans. “Now, instead of doing everything to placate them, he is flailing about like a baby throwing a tantrum.”
On a separate trip to Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other key U.S. defense officials on Tuesday.
Before the meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin characterized civilian casualties in Gaza as “far too high” and relief deliveries as “far too low.” But he also reiterated his position that Israel has the right to defend itself and that the United States will always be there to assist.
Gallant stated that he informed Blinken that Israel would not end operations in Gaza until all captives were returned. Only a decisive victory can put an end to this war.
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top political leader, said the U.N. vote demonstrated that Israel faced “an unprecedented (level of) political isolation” and is “losing its political cover” at the Security Council. He spoke at a news conference in Tehran after meeting with officials from Iran, a key Hamas backer.
Israel And Hamas Dig In As Pressure Builds For A Cease-Fire In Gaza
The battle began on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists poured across the border and attacked communities in southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people, the majority of them were civilians, and kidnapping approximately 250 others. It is still thought to be keeping approximately 100 hostages and the remains of 35 others after the majority of the remainder were released in November in exchange for the release of Palestinian captives.
The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have spent many weeks attempting to arrange another cease-fire and hostage release, but their efforts appear to have stalled.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, which is presently holding the discussions, informed reporters that the negotiations were ongoing but did not provide any information.
Hamas has previously proposed a phased process in which it would release all remaining hostages in exchange for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, the opening of its borders for aid and reconstruction, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants serving life sentences.
SOURCE – (AP)
