Greater Middle East (bbabo.net), - The US still does not support a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, announced this on January 19.
“(We are against) for the same reason as before. We do not believe that a ceasefire will benefit anyone other than Hamas. As I have said, we support humanitarian pauses for the release of hostages and aid supplies, but we do not support a ceasefire,” he said during a briefing.
As Kirby noted, the ceasefire was in force on October 6 last year, but the radical Palestinian movement Hamas “chose to violate” it.
Earlier, on January 18, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that Israelis are not ready to choose between peaceful solutions amid the ongoing armed confrontation. He said Hamas must be eradicated to “ensure a better future for the Palestinians.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel intends to continue the operation in the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely defeated, and the fighting will continue for many months.
The Times of Israel newspaper wrote on January 17 that Netanyahu predicted the continuation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict until 2025. He also instructed to continue to provide financial assistance to residents of the border areas of Israel who cannot yet return to their homes.
On January 16, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that a secure future in the Middle East requires a solution to the Palestinian issue. He also emphasized the need to reform the leadership of the Palestinian Authority so that it works for the benefit of citizens.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced on January 15 that intensive military operations in the northern Gaza Strip had ended. According to him, Israeli forces will continue to conduct military operations in the north of the enclave, but with less intensity.
On January 2, it became known that Hamas had decided to suspend all negotiations on the release of the hostages, as well as on a truce or ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, when Hamas subjected Israel to massive rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, and also invaded border areas in the south of the country and took hostages. That same day, Israel began retaliating against targets in the Gaza Strip.
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