Netanyahu refuses to budge on ceasefire deal despite hostage killings
By
Ross O'Keefe
September 2, 2024 5:10 pm
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied growing calls to get a ceasefire agreement finalized following Hamas’s killings of several hostages over the weekend.
Netanyahu said he believes it’s a necessity that the Israeli-controlled Philadelphi corridor, a strip of land along the Gazan border with Egypt, remains under Israeli control as a part of a ceasefire deal. Israel has long claimed Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza through tunnels underneath the border.
He called the corridor “the oxygen of Hamas,” given its importance in ensuring Hamas can’t smuggle weapons and other supplies underground.
The Israeli prime minister said he recognized the importance of freeing the remaining hostages but refused to budge: “No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than me. But no one will preach to me.”
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/world/3140970/netanyahu-refuses-budge-ceasefire-deal-hostage-killings/