Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said accepting Hamas's demand to end the war in Gaza in order to reach a deal to release hostages would be a "terrible defeat" for Israel.
"Accepting Hamas' demands would be a terrible defeat for the state of Israel. It would be a huge victory for Hamas, for Iran, for the entire axis of evil," he told a cabinet meeting. "Consequently, Israel will not agree to Hamas' demands that amount to capitulation and will continue the fight until all of its goals are achieved." "We are not ready to accept a situation where Hamas battalions emerge from their bunkers, retake control of Gaza, rebuild their military infrastructure and return to threaten the citizens of Israel."
The Israeli army said it closed Kerem Shalom, the key border crossing to southern Gaza, after rockets were fired at the crossing. "Approximately 10 projectile launches were identified from the area adjacent to the Rafah crossing towards the Kerem Shalom area," the army said in a statement. It added that "the Kerem Shalom point is currently closed to the passage of humanitarian aid trucks".
Stay tuned for more details. /BGNES, AFP
