Netanyahu insists that there will be no permanent ceasefire and that there is "no way" to stop the war after the release of hostages

Doha is currently the epicenter of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, where three countries (the United States, Qatar and Egypt) mediate at the highest level to try to extend the ceasefire in Gaza as much as possible.. With an eye on a new extension that would begin this Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been categorical about the end of the conflict and has assured that, even if the truce is extended, it will only be temporarily.

“In recent days I have heard a question: after this stage of returning our kidnapped people is exhausted, will Israel fight again? My answer is an unequivocal yes,” the Israeli president reaffirmed. “There is no way we won't fight to the end again. “This is my policy, the entire cabinet supports it, the Government supports it, the soldiers support it, the people support it: This is exactly what we will do,” he added.

“From the beginning of the war I set three objectives: the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our kidnapped people and guaranteeing that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel,” objectives “that remain valid,” he stressed.. For the moment, the six days of ceasefire have led to the release of 81 hostages between Israelis and foreigners. According to Tel Aviv, there are still 161 people in Hamas captivity.. Among them are fifteen foreigners, although many of the Israeli captives have dual nationality.

A senior Israeli official has acknowledged that, after freeing women and children, “they will be more than open to discussing the release of other groups” of hostages; in reference to male adults who until now had been a red line. In this sense, the spokesperson for the office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Eylon Levy, indicated this Wednesday that there are still more than 30 women and several children in the hands of the Islamist group.. Among them was a family made up of a 32-year-old mother and her two children, one 4 years old and the other 10 months old.. This Wednesday the Al Qasam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced that the three were dead due to “Israeli airstrikes carried out before the temporary ceasefire.”

For its part, Hamas has shown itself willing to “extend the ceasefire for four more days” according to statements by a member of the organization reported by The Guardian citing AFP.. In exchange for the release of hostages, the Islamist group that rules Gaza had demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners. At the moment, 180 prisoners have been released, all women and minors.. Although none of them have blood crimes to their credit, there are attempted murders against Israeli soldiers or police, although the majority are stone throwing or even young people who have not been tried.

Israel continues raids in West Bank

Although the truce in Gaza has stopped military actions, in the occupied West Bank the Israeli Army has continued with raids. This Wednesday two Palestinian minors, aged 8 and 15, were shot dead by the Israeli Army in the city of Jenin, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, has reported that the minors died in an Israeli Army raid on Jenin, during which troops reportedly carried out “a massive arrest campaign” and forced the evacuation of a neighborhood. Wafa also denounced that the soldiers caused massive destruction in the city streets, demolished civil infrastructure – including part of the electrical and hydraulic network – and bombed a house from the air using a drone.

Asked about the two deaths, the Israeli Army said it was investigating what happened, although the Israeli newspaper Haaretz claims that the Israel Defense Forces have recognized that the two minors had supposedly “thrown explosives.” According to a joint statement from the Army, Police and Israeli intelligence, an assault has been carried out in the Jenin refugee camp in which two alleged “high-ranking terrorists”, identified as Mohamed Zabeidi and Husam Hanon, were killed.

The Army also reported the arrest of 17 other “wanted people” and that “the terrorists” threw explosives at the forces, “who shot at the terrorists and hit them.” The death of these two minors follows yesterday's death of two others aged 14 and 17 and a 26-year-old young man shot by the Israeli Army.

Although Hamas does not rule in the West Bank, Israeli raids have multiplied since the October 7 attacks. According to data from the NGO Addameer, a defender of Palestinian prisoners, more than 3,260 Palestinians have been detained, including 120 women and more than 200 minors.