Gaza Conflict Set to Persist Despite Cease-Fire Agreement – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
3:25 PM – Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly stated in a private meeting that military operations in Gaza would persist despite a cease-fire agreement with Hamas, as reported by the Jewish News Syndicate.
Advertisement
“If a deal is reached—and I sincerely hope it will be—Israel will resume fighting afterward. There’s no need to hide this fact as the goal of continuing the fight is to fulfill the war’s objectives. This does not hinder a deal; it actually promotes one,” quoted the PM in the news report.
Concerns have been raised by some negotiators regarding Netanyahu’s position, particularly since Hamas is demanding international guarantees for the later phases of an agreement. The terrorist organization has reiterated its call for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Jerusalem’s primary objectives in this conflict are to dismantle Hamas as both a military and political entity, secure the return of all October 7th hostages, and ensure that Gaza-based Islamist groups do not pose a renewed security threat to Israel in the foreseeable future.
Negotiations for the release of 34 hostages have reached a standstill, as Hamas refuses to release a specific group of 12 hostages, threatening instead to return only “their bodies.” While Hamas has committed to releasing 22 live hostages, they seek to exchange the living 12 for the deceased. Reports indicate that Netanyahu has rejected this proposal.
The agreement also stated that Israel would provide Hamas with a list of 34 hostages for transfer in the initial phase. Additionally, there are still one hundred hostages remaining in Gaza, with 64 of them believed to be alive by Israel.
On December 20th, Netanyahu stated in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, “I’m not going to agree to end the war before we eliminate Hamas. We’re not leaving them in power in Gaza, just 30 miles from Tel Aviv. That will not happen.”
Stay updated! Get breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here: https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below
