Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday it would be a huge mistake to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza now.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Reuters/Amir Cohen
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday it would be a huge mistake to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza now.
Smotrich, who heads a pro-settler party which is part of Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition, made the comment as Israeli officials continued talks via mediators about a possible ceasefire deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
He wrote on social media platform X: "Hamas is collapsing and begging for a ceasefire. This is the time to squeeze the neck until we crush and break the enemy. To stop now, just before the end, and let him recover and fight us again, is a senseless folly."
Reporting by Christian Lowe; Editing by Hugh Lawson
The Trump administration is actively pursuing the dismantlement of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), citing allegations of the agency's association with terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Palestinian Hamas terrorist organization is ready to establish contact and hold talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia's RIA state news agency cited a senior Hamas official as saying in remarks published early on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that Riyadh was not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he said the U.S. wants to take over the Gaza Strip.
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