Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz has rejected proposals for a ceasefire in Lebanon after the US and allies called for a 21-day halt in the fighting to allow time to reach a diplomatic solution.
“There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight … with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Katz said on X.
Numerous right-wing Israeli figures voiced strong opposition to a proposed 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, arguing it would stop the Israeli military’s momentum there and give Hezbollah time to regroup.
Nissim Vaturi, a member of parliament with Netanyahu’s Likud party, said that it would amount to “surrender” to the Lebanese group.
Far-right MP Almog Cohen, with the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit party, stated that a ceasefire would be a “national disaster,” demanding “Hezbollah must pay.”
Zvi Sukkot, a member of the far-right Religious Zionist Party, said that a ceasefire would enable Hezbollah to recuperate and pose more danger to northern Israeli towns.
Israeli Army Radio quoted security officials as saying Israel needed to carry on its offensive longer to achieve its war aims before striking a ceasefire.
Additionally, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office released a statement on Benjamin Netanyahu’s X page saying that the “news about a ceasefire is not true.”
His office said that Netanyahu “did not even respond” to the proposal.
“The news about the supposed directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth,” the office iterated.
The statement added that Netanyahu instructed the Israeli forces “to continue the fighting with full force, and according to the plans presented to him.”
Israeli Opposition Leader Urges Government To Accept Ceasefire For Seven Days
Meanwhile, Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid called on the government to accept a ceasefire proposal floated by the US and France, but only for seven days.
Lapid in a series of posts on X, noted that even the slightest violation of such a ceasefire would push Israel to restart its attacks with “its full force … in all areas of Lebanon.”
He added that “we will not accept any proposal that does not include removing Hezbollah from our northern border.”
Israeli attacks have continued across Lebanon on Thursday amid talks of 21-day ceasefire.
On Wednesday, 72 people were killed in the attack across Lebanon as the death toll from Israel’s bombings surpassed 620.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 90,000 people have been on the move in the past four days, adding to the 110,000 people who have been displaced in the past year.
Speaking at the press briefing, Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi applauded the public for their “solidarity and unity” amid the crisis.
He said there is a major influx of displaced people from southern Lebanon and more than 500 shelters, many within schools, have been set up to accommodate them.
Provincial mayors are overseeing the shelters, where people with special needs and chronic health issues are being given “special attention”, Mawlawi said.
Mawlawi thanked the Red Cross and other relief agencies for working with the government to urgently assist displaced people.
He also said a number of sub-committees have been set up to provide resources to the displaced. They are coordinating with Lebanon’s crisis management commission and provincial mayors on an hourly basis, he added.
“From the moment our citizens started to leave their homes and move up, our operations as planned came into action,” said Mawlawi.
READ ALSO: Offset Accuses Cardi B of Cheating While Pregnant With Their Child
