US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.(photo:@SecBlinken) IANS
Jerusalem, December 1 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, now on a visit to the Middle East, that the goal remains the same and “nothing will stop us from crushing Hamas who committed atrocities on October 7".
Netanyahu made it clear that the temporary truce does not mean long-term peace is near.
"It is the same Hamas that perpetrated the terrible massacre on October 7, and the same Hamas that is trying to murder us everywhere," Netanyahu said on social media.
"I told (Blinken) we have sworn, I have sworn, to eliminate Hamas. Nothing will stop us."
The Prime Minister noted that the meeting with Blinken took place hours after militants killed three people in a shooting rampage in Jerusalem.
Blinken was in Jerusalem on Thursday for meetings with Netanyahu and the Israeli War Cabinet, reiterating the US' firm support for Israel’s right to protect itself "in compliance with international humanitarian law" and urging Israel to avoid harm to civilians, media reports said.
The Biden administration has been firm in its support of the Israeli military's offensive into the Gaza Strip prompted by the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Blinken and Netanyahu discussed efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages and the urgent need to speed up delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the State Department said in a statement.
"The Secretary stressed the imperative of accounting for humanitarian and civilian protection needs in southern Gaza before any military operations there," the statement said, adding that Blinken also urged "immediate steps" to hold extremist Israeli settlers accountable for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, USA TODAY reported.
