Israel’s Netanyahu resists US pressure to pause war to allow more aid to Gaza, wants hostages held by Hamas back first

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pushed back against growing US pressure for a “humanitarian pause” in the nearly month-old war to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza, insisting there would be no temporary ceasefire until the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas are released.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his third trip to Israel since the war began, reiterating American support for Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas after its brutal October 7 attack in southern Israel. He also echoed President Joe Biden’s calls for a brief halt in the fighting to address a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Alarm has grown over spiralling Palestinian deaths and deepening misery for civilians from weeks of Israeli bombardment and a widening ground assault that risks even greater casualties. Overwhelmed hospitals say they are nearing collapse, with medicine and fuel running low under the Israeli siege. About 1.5 million people in Gaza, or 70 per cent of the population, have fled their homes, the UN said on Friday.

Palestinians are increasingly desperate for the most basic supplies.

The average Gaza resident is now surviving on two pieces of bread per day, much of it made from stockpiled UN flour, said Thomas White, Gaza director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Demands for drinking water are also growing.

“People are beyond looking for bread,” he told UN diplomats in a video briefing from Gaza. “It’s looking for water.”

After talks with Netanyahu, Blinken said a temporary halt was needed to boost aid deliveries and help win the release of the hostages Hamas took during its brutal incursion nearly a month ago.