Netanyahu to 'Friends and Enemies': Remove Ceasefire from the Vocabulary

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, reiterated during a visit to his country's air force base that Israel will not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza unless the 'terrorist' group Hamas releases the hostages it has taken. Netanyahu's office quoted him in a statement saying, 'Remove this [the word 'ceasefire'] from the vocabulary. We say this to both our enemies and our friends. We will continue until we defeat them. We have no other option.' In his remarks to air force personnel, Netanyahu also referred to opposition to his government's proposed judicial reforms, which had previously sparked protests from some reservists earlier this year, stating, 'They misunderstood. They thought that on a critical day [our soldiers] would not show up to fight. We showed up together and now we are fighting shoulder to shoulder.' On Friday, Netanyahu rejected the U.S. request for a temporary halt to attacks against Hamas to facilitate the release of over 240 hostages taken by the terrorist group, emphasizing that Israel will not stop its attacks unless Hamas first releases the hostages. Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people and taking over 240 captive. The United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. Although the Biden administration has called for a temporary halt to the fighting to advance negotiations in Qatar for the release of hostages, it opposes requests from Arab government officials for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Earlier, President Joe Biden emphasized that any discussion of a ceasefire in Gaza is only possible if Hamas releases all the hostages it took during the October 7 attack. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stated on Saturday in Amman, Jordan, during a press conference with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt, 'A ceasefire right now would only allow Hamas to survive, regroup, and repeat what it did on October 7.' He added, 'No nation, none of us will accept such a thing... Therefore, it is important to reaffirm Israel's right and duty to defend itself.' American officials have stated that 10 Americans, whose names have not yet been disclosed, may be among the over 240 hostages in Gaza, believed to be trapped in Hamas's extensive tunnel network, referred to by Israel as the 'metro.'