No ceasefire, no fuel in Gaza until hostages are released: Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that no fuel will be supplied to Gaza and there will be no ceasefire with Hamas until Israelis held hostage by Hamas groups are freed.

In a televised statement marking the one-month anniversary of Israel's war with Hamas, PM Netanyahu warned Iran-backed Hezbollah that it would be "making the biggest mistake of its life" if it opens a new front in the war from its base in Lebanon. Will do".

The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7 when fighters from the Islamist group Hamas crossed into southern Israel and massacred hundreds of civilians and took several people hostage.

According to Israel, Hamas operatives killed approximately 1,400 people – mostly Israeli civilians – in the worst attack on the country since its existence in 1948. At the same time, more than 240 people were taken hostage.

In response, Israel has launched a massive attack on Hamas in the Palestinian Territory, home to approximately 24 lakh people.

However, as the conflict now enters its second month, international calls for a ceasefire or "cease" in fighting are increasing.

But Netanyahu said that "without the release of our hostages there will be no entry of gasoline, no ceasefire".

Meanwhile the White House has sounded alarms over the possible “reoccupation” of Gaza by Israel, after the country’s leader indicated Israeli forces would handle “overall security responsibility” in the area following the conflict with Hamas.

Asked to weigh in on the long-term plans for Gaza National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged Israel to reconsider a lengthy military deployment. “The president still believes that a reoccupation of Gaza by Israeli forces is not good. It’s not good for Israel; not good for the Israeli people,” he said without elaborating.

“One of the conversations that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been having in the region is what does post-conflict Gaza look like?” the spokesman added “What does governance look like in Gaza? Because whatever it is it can’t be what it was on October 6. It can’t be Hamas.”