Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday (Sep 4) put forward the conditions for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. He said that his nation would agree to a permanent ceasefire only if it guarantees that the border area between southern Gaza and Egypt could never be used as a lifeline for the Hamas militant group.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
“Until that happens, we’re there,” he said while addressing a news conference in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu once again outrightly rejected the withdrawal from the so-called Philadelphi corridor in the first week of a deal and said that international pressure would make it effectively impossible to return.
He said that for a permanent ceasefire, Israel would need guarantees that whoever runs the postwar Gaza would be able to stop the potential use of the route for smuggling weapons and supplies for Hamas.
“Somebody has to be there,” said Netanyahu.
“Bring me anyone who will actually show – not on paper, not in words, not on a slide – but day after day, week after week, month after month, that they can actually prevent a recurrence of what happened there before,” he added, referring to Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on his nation.
“We’re open to consider it, but I don’t see that happening right now,” he stressed.
He also said that maintaining pressure on Hamas was the best way for the return of the 101 people still being held hostage by the Hamas.
“You need to squeeze them, to put pressure on them to release the remaining hostages. So if you want to release the hostages, you’ve got to control the Philadelphi corridor,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
