Israel PM rejects Gaza ceasefire as ‘surrender to Hamas’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas “will not happen”, as the UN warned not enough aid was coming in to meet “unprecedented humanitarian needs”.

Israeli ground forces fought inside the Gaza Strip and air strikes pounded the besieged Hamas-run Palestinian territory in response to the October 7 attacks — the deadliest in Israel’s history.

The intensifying military operations have sharply heightened fears for the 2.4 million inhabitants of Gaza, where the Hamas-controlled health ministry says more than 8,300 have been killed.

In a briefing to foreign press, Netanyahu said a ceasefire would amount to surrendering to Hamas, whose gunmen killed 1,400 people and took more than 230 hostages, according to the latest Israeli figures.

“Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to…