Israel would accept “pauses” in Gaza due to US pressure, but no ceasefire

After more than a week of public pressure from USA claiming “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahuadmitted that his government could accept only “small pauses” in its attack on Hamas.

The Israeli leader attempted to minimize differences with his country’s main supporter in the international community at a time of increasing scrutiny over the huge number of civilian casualties in the fighting.

Netanyahu spoke after a direct request from US President Joe Biden, almost a month after the war began. Biden was trying to drum up support for at least limited relief for civilians in the growing conflict.

The back-and-forth underscored the challenges Biden and his administration face in handling what is becoming one of the defining foreign policy crises of his tenure.

For now, the United States remains focused on preventing the fighting from sparking a broader regional war and is pushing for limited measures to alleviate civilian suffering.

But he has maintained his strong support for Israel and Netanyahu’s goal of ending Hamas control over Gaza, even as the death toll in Gaza reached 10,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Biden used his first conversation with Netanyahu in eight days to privately reiterate his public calls for breaks in fighting to allow civilians to flee the Israeli campaign to crush Hamas, as well as humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands of people in need.

“We consider that we are at the beginning of this conversation, not the end of it,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, referring to the conversation between the two leaders. “So you can expect that we will continue to advocate for temporary pauses in fighting, limited to a particular area.”

Hours later, Netanyahu ruled out a widespread ceasefire in an interview with ABC News, although he suggested the possibility of “small breaks”. It was unclear whether some kind of limited recess had been agreed upon or whether the United States was satisfied with the scope of the Israeli commitment.

“Well, there will be no ceasefire, a general ceasefire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages,” dNetanyahu said when asked about Biden’s humanitarian pauses. “As for small tactical breaks, an hour here, an hour there. We have had them before, I suppose, we will check the circumstances to allow the entry of goods, humanitarian goods, or the exit of our hostages, individual hostages. But I don’t think there will be a general ceasefire.”

The conversation between the two leaders occurred after a hectic weekend by Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who visited Israel, Jordan, the occupied West Bank, Cyprus, Iraq and Turkey seeking support for the White House proposal for humanitarian initiatives.

“This is all a work in progress,” Blinken declared before leaving Turkey. “Obviously we don’t agree on everything, but there are common points of view.”

CIA Director William Burns was also in the Middle East, meeting with intelligence partners and leaders of several countries, a U.S. official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Burns’ unusual trips. become public.

The United States intends for its talks to reinforce its commitment to intelligence cooperation, especially in the areas of terrorism and security, the official added.

Meanwhile, Israeli armed forces surrounded Gaza City and isolated the northern part of the besieged territory governed by Hamas.

Israeli soldiers were preparing to enter the city, where they will likely face militants in street-by-street combat.

Asked if the death toll was a reason for the United States to reconsider its strong support for Israel, Kirby responded: “I think we all have to remember who we are fighting,” and referred to the Hamas incursion on October 7 in which 1,400 people were killed, mostly civilians, an event that sparked the war. He insisted that no country would tolerate such an attack. “without implementing a rapid and forceful response.”

Source: AP