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10 months ago

Netanyahu says no Gaza truce without release of hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Jerusalem on February 18, 2024 — Reuters/File
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Jerusalem on February 18, 2024 — Reuters/File

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire after six months of war against Hamas in Gaza until the hostages being held in Gaza are released.

His comments made at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting came as a new round of truce talks in Egypt are set to begin.

Netanyahu said that despite growing international pressure, Israel would not give in to "extreme" demands from Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas, which sparked the war on October 7 with its deadly attack on southern Israel.

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