Israel raids Al Jazeera’s offices, says it will not give in to Hamas
- Israel and Hamas have been negotiating towards a potential truce that would include release of hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel
- Netanyahu also said his government had ordered the closure of the local offices of Qatar-based ‘incitement’ news channel Al Jazeera
Israel is prepared to temporarily halt the war in Gaza to gain the release of the hostages held there, but will not agree to the Hamas demand to end the war completely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also said on Sunday that his government had ordered the closure of the local offices of Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera, with which his administration has had a long-running feud.
Israel and Hamas have been negotiating for weeks through mediators towards a potential truce that would include the release of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Giving in to Hamas’ demands would be a “terrible defeat” for Israel, a huge victory for Hamas and Iran, and would project a “terrible weakness” to Israel’s friends and enemies alike, Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office.
This weakness would distance any further peace agreement, Netanyahu said, in an apparent reference to potential normalisation of ties with Saudi Arabia.
