Israeli PM “considers temporary cease-fire for humanitarian purposes”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) is seen embracing U.S. President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 18th (local time)./AP·Yonhap News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on November 6th (local time) that he is considering a temporary ceasefire (pause) for humanitarian purposes in the Gaza Strip and a ceasefire (cease-fire) for hostage release could be possible.

In an interview with ABC News on the same day, Netanyahu, in response to a question about the possibility of a temporary ceasefire, said, “There will be no general ceasefire (general cease-fire) in the Gaza Strip without hostage release,” but also added, “As before, we will verify situations to allow materials or humanitarian goods to come in or individual hostages to leave.”

◇ Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu “Considering temporary ceasefire for humanitarian purposes… Ceasefire for hostage release possible”

However, he emphasized again, “A tactical pause is here and there for an hour,” and “I don’t think there will be a general ceasefire.” When asked by the host if a pause could be possible if Hamas agrees to the release of hostages, he replied, “There will be a ceasefire for that purpose.” According to the Israeli government, the number of hostages detained by Hamas is 241.

Palestinian children are seen fleeing from Israeli military airstrikes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on November 6th (local time)./AFP·Yonhap News

◇ President Biden pressures for tactical ceasefire for humanitarian purposes

The remarks came after U.S. President Joe Biden had a phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the White House announced that they discussed the possibility of a tactical ceasefire to allow for civilian evacuation and aid provision.

Previously, on November 3rd, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel, and proposed a temporary ceasefire on humanitarian grounds for hostage release and other issues.

John Kirby, the National Security Council’s (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, also said in an online briefing on the same day that he believes in the value of a temporary humanitarian ceasefire implemented locally, but a ‘general ceasefire’ is not appropriate. Ned Price, Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department, reaffirmed the ‘opposition to ceasefire’ stance in a briefing on the same day, saying, “During a ceasefire, Hamas will have time to regroup.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei (right) and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (left) are seen meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Tehran, Iran, on November 6th (local time)./AFP·Yonhap News

◇ Palestinian death toll exceeds 10,000

The Biden administration’s pressure on the Israeli government for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip comes as the death toll from the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for 32 days, and the ground war, which is in its 10th day, has exceeded 10,000. This is also due to the increasing international pressure on the Biden administration, as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the largest international organization in the Islamic world, is set to hold a special summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the 12th.

The Gaza Health Ministry held a press conference on the same day and claimed that the cumulative death toll so far has been recorded as 10,022, including 4,104 children. The number of deaths due to Hamas’s attacks is over 1,400, and the number of injured is 6,900.

◇ Iran’s President attends, Saudi hosts OIC Summit, discusses cessation of Israeli war crimes and humanitarian aid

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister, and Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister, agreed on the same day to hold an OIC summit with the aim of “stopping war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (by Israel) and continuous humanitarian aid,” according to Israel’s daily Haaretz.

In particular, the news that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will attend the OIC summit could make the Biden administration nervous. This is because the Biden administration is focusing its diplomatic efforts on preventing Iran, as well as Lebanon-based Hezbollah and other Sunni armed groups supported by Iran, from getting involved in any form in Hamas’s surprise attacks and preventing the situation from escalating.

Meanwhile, Colonel Daniel Hagari, senior spokesperson for the Israeli military, announced on the same day that the ground forces have been conducting operations deep inside Gaza City for the past few hours, destroying Hamas’s underground tunnels and such, and said, “Since last night, we have eliminated many Hamas field commanders and significantly weakened their counterattack capabilities.”