Gaza Ceasefire | Israel’s Ultimatum to Hamas and Anticipation for the Arab Summit in Cairo
Netanyahu Vows to Continue Military Operations Until Hamas is Defeated and Israeli Captives Are Returned.
Watan-As uncertainty looms over the fate of a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli occupation forces continue to threaten a return to war if Hamas does not release the Israeli captives held in the Strip.
Speaking before the Knesset on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Israeli military continues its operations in Gaza, stressing that Israel will not abandon any captive in the Strip, whether alive or dead. He added, “Hamas is lying to the captives, telling them that we have abandoned them,” affirming that his government will not stop until all its objectives are achieved, “foremost among them being the elimination of Hamas and the return of all captives.”
For its part, Hamas condemned Israel’s ongoing closure of Gaza’s border crossings to humanitarian aid and goods, calling it “a crime of collective punishment against innocent civilians and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
Arab Summit Tensions Amid Ongoing Gaza Crisis
The movement further stated that “blocking the entry of food, medicine, and essential supplies is a war crime and a desperate attempt to suffocate our steadfast people and impose a catastrophic reality on more than two million Palestinians, in flagrant defiance of all humanitarian values and international laws.”
Amid differing viewpoints, the emergency Arab summit, convened by Egypt, is set to begin in Cairo. Originally scheduled for February 27, it was postponed to March 4. Disputes over the summit’s agenda became public when Algeria’s state news agency revealed that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune would not be attending in protest against “the imbalances and shortcomings that marred the preparatory process and the monopolization of this process by a limited group of Arab states.”
On the ground, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported that in the past 48 hours, nine Palestinians were killed—four of whom were recovered from the rubble—while 21 others were injured. This brings the total toll of Israel’s assault on Gaza to 48,397 killed and 111,824 injured since October 7, 2023.
