Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 7 that Israel will not agree to a ceasefire until hostages being held in the Gaza Strip are released.
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| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Source: Reuters) |
Netanyahu made the comments at the start of a weekly Cabinet meeting as a new round of ceasefire talks in Egypt between the two sides was set to begin.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that despite growing international pressure, Israel will not give in to the “extreme” demands of Hamas, which sparked the conflict on October 7 last year with a bloody attack on southern Israel.
In another move, an Israeli military spokesman said the country's army had withdrawn all infantry from the southern Gaza Strip, except for one brigade.
The Israeli military has not provided further details on the matter.
The move comes as the Israeli military is on high alert amid reports of possible Iranian retaliation for the Jewish state's bombing of the Iranian embassy complex in the Syrian capital Damascus.
A senior Iranian official warned on April 7 that no Israeli embassy is safe anymore, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The statement was made by the Advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader - Mr. Yahya Rahim Safavi - after Israel attacked the Iranian Embassy complex in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the country has completed preparations to handle any possible scenario with its enemy Iran.
The Israeli Defense Minister's Office made the statement after Mr Gallant conducted an "operational review" with senior military officers.
“Upon completion of the assessment, Secretary Gallant emphasized that the defense establishment is fully prepared to respond to any possible scenario involving Iran,” the office said in a statement.
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