Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would consider a "small-scale tactical pause" in Gaza to facilitate the delivery of aid or the release of hostages, but again rejected calls for a ceasefire despite growing international pressure.
Speaking in an interview on US television, Mr Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas and said he believed Israel would need to take responsibility for the security of the Palestinian interior for an "indefinite period of time" after the war ended.
Asked about the possibility of a humanitarian pause, a proposal backed by the United States, Netanyahu said a general ceasefire would hamper his country's offensive efforts.
"If it's just a small pause - an hour here, an hour there - we've done it before. We'll look at the situation to allow humanitarian aid to come into Gaza, or to allow the release of some of our hostages."
“But I don't believe there will be a general ceasefire,” the leader said.
Israel and Hamas have both rejected the international ceasefire. Israel says the hostages Hamas seized in an attack on southern Israel on October 7 must be released first. Hamas has said it will not release the hostages or stop fighting while Gaza is under attack.
Since Hamas's offensive on October 7, Israel has pounded Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground offensive, leading to global alarm over humanitarian conditions in the area.
Gaza's health ministry said at least 10,022 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,104 children.
International organizations say hospitals are struggling to cope with the injured while food and clean water are running low and aid supplies remain in dire need.
The heads of several UN agencies, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, issued a statement on Monday: "We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. It's been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop immediately."
Washington has urged a pause in fighting to allow aid to reach Gaza. But Israel believes Hamas will use a general ceasefire to regroup.
Photo: Reuters / Mohammed Al-Masri.
US President Joe Biden discussed the possibility of a ceasefire and hostage release in a phone call with Mr Netanyahu on Monday, reaffirming his support for Israel but also stressing his responsibility to protect civilians.
Call for urgent ceasefire
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an urgent ceasefire on Monday.
“The Israeli Defense Forces’ ground operations and bombardment are harming civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and UN facilities – including shelters. No one is safe here.”
"At the same time, Hamas and other militias use civilians as human shields and continue to indiscriminately launch rockets into Israel," said Antonio Guterres.
The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Monday. The body is still trying to come up with a resolution after trying unsuccessfully to agree on action four times in the past two weeks. Diplomats said the main hurdle was deciding whether to call for a ceasefire, an end to hostilities, or a humanitarian pause to allow aid to reach Gaza.
Asked by reporters on Monday whether the United Nations was considering Gaza's future after the fighting ends, US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said: "Of course there are concerns about the situation in the days after the fighting, but we will get to that point."
Asked who would control Gaza when the conflict ends, Mr Netanyahu said: "I think Israel will have shared security responsibility indefinitely because we have seen what happens when we do not have that security responsibility."
The Biden administration has notified the US Congress that it is planning to transfer $320 million worth of high-precision bombs to Israel.
Israel said on Monday it was attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in response to a barrage of rockets fired by the group at northern Israeli cities. The Israeli military said it detected about 30 rocket launches from Lebanon in just one hour.
Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)
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