Israel declares 'continued fight' against Hamas after ceasefire deal
(Baonghean.vn)- According to an official statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, on November 22, the country pledged to "continue the fight" against the Hamas Islamist movement after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
"The Israeli government, army and security forces will continue the fight to bring back all those kidnapped, eliminate Hamas and ensure that there is no longer any threat to the State of Israel from Gaza," the statement said. Earlier in the day, the Israeli government approved a deal to release 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire.
The official statement confirmed: "The government has approved the general outlines of the first phase of the agreement, according to which at least 50 kidnapped people - women and children - will be released within four days, during which there will be a lull in fighting." For every 10 hostages released, there will be an additional day of ceasefire. Hamas issued a statement welcoming the "humanitarian truce", which will also see 150 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons.
A senior US administration official said President Joe Biden has been personally involved “hour by hour” in reaching an agreement to release the hostages held by Hamas. The official pointed out that Biden has held 14 meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, three calls with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and two calls with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani since the Gaza crisis began. In addition, the US hopes the potential deal will lead to a halt in hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces, facing a shortage of ammunition due to the diversion of supplies to Israel, hope that the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip will end quickly.
Axios previously reported that the US plans to transfer tens of thousands of artillery shells to Israel that were previously intended for Ukraine.
"I hope Israel can complete its mission in the near future. We are in a critical situation because we do not have enough ammunition... We really need artillery shells, explosives, anti-tank weapons and mines" - the Times quoted an officer commanding the 21st Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces as saying.
