No cease-fire, fuel into Gaza until hostages returned: Israel

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday there will be no cease-fire or fuel shipments into the Gaza Strip unless hostages held by Hamas are released.

“There will be no entry of gasoline or cease-fire without the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement.

The Palestinian group Hamas is believed to be holding at least 242 hostages following its cross-border attack into Israeli territory on Oct. 7.

Netanyahu said the Israeli army is reaching deeper into Gaza “than Hamas ever imagined.”

“Gaza City is surrounded. We are operating within it, we are deepening the pressure on Hamas every hour, every day,” he added.

Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 10,328 Palestinians, including 4,237 children and 2,719 women, have been killed since then. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.

Besides the large number of casualties and massive displacements, basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege.