{"id":9159,"date":"2023-12-17T12:50:42","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T17:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/u-s-to-push-israel-to-scale-back-war-against-hamas-in-gaza-live-updates\/17\/12\/2023\/"},"modified":"2023-12-17T12:50:42","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T17:50:42","slug":"u-s-to-push-israel-to-scale-back-war-against-hamas-in-gaza-live-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/u-s-to-push-israel-to-scale-back-war-against-hamas-in-gaza-live-updates\/17\/12\/2023\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. to Push Israel to Scale Back War Against Hamas in Gaza: Live Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to keep fighting in Gaza, even as anguish over the Israeli military\u2019s accidental killings of three hostages<\/a> in the enclave raised new questions about how his government is prosecuting the war.<\/p>\n

Amid a mounting outcry over the civilian toll in Gaza, the U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III, is traveling to the Middle East<\/a> this week. Mr. Austin is expected to voice support for Israel\u2019s campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza but also to reinforce the importance of taking civilian safety into account during operations, according to a senior Pentagon official said.<\/p>\n

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Mr. Netanyahu began a government meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday by reading from a letter that he said came from families of Israeli soldiers killed fighting in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a mandate to fight; you do not have a mandate to stop in the middle,\u201d Mr. Netanyahu read in Hebrew, according to a statement from his office.<\/p>\n

As a \u201ctestament\u201d to the fallen soldiers, Mr. Netanyahu said, Israel\u2019s military would \u201cfight to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter appears at odds with the message coming from relatives of Israelis still held hostage in Gaza, many of whom have taken to the streets to demand a cease-fire so that their loved ones can return home.<\/p>\n

Weekly rallies in support of the hostages have drawn thousands of protesters to Tel Aviv to demonstrate outside the Israeli military\u2019s main headquarters. News that the Israeli military had mistakenly killed the three hostages on Friday added a sense of urgency to the rally on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of protesters gathered on a central boulevard in Tel Aviv to demonstrate against the government before marching through the city to join the hostage rally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see the current approach is not working,\u201d said Deborah Galili, a protester from Tel Aviv. She said she wanted Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s government to pursue a peaceful resolution that would bring the hostages home and end the fighting.<\/p>\n

A weeklong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas last month saw 105 hostages freed in exchange for the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails before negotiations broke down<\/a> and the war resumed on Dec. 1.<\/p>\n

But since then, Ms. Galili said, \u201cwe\u2019re not seeing more hostages coming home alive.\u201d Several hostages have been confirmed dead<\/a> by Israel\u2019s military in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Ahal Besorai\u2019s niece and nephew were among those released during the pause, but their father \u2014 Mr. Besorai\u2019s brother-in-law \u2014 remains in captivity. Mr. Besorai said in a phone interview on Sunday that he understood why people were demanding a cease-fire, especially after the deaths of three hostages, but worried that only military pressure will bring the rest of his family home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very, very, very, difficult spot because on the one hand, you want your loved one to be released, and on the other hand, you want Hamas eliminated,\u201d said Mr. Besorai, whose sister was killed in the Oct. 7 attacks, which left roughly 1,200 dead and 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. \u201cThese two aims and goals of this war appear at times in conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some protesters at Saturday\u2019s rally said that they believed the accidental killings of the three hostages by Israel\u2019s military would mark a turning point in people\u2019s willingness to publicly criticize Mr. Netanyahu and the way his government is handling the war.<\/p>\n

Ms. Galili was one of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Netanyahu has not taken responsibility,\u201d she said, adding that he needs to \u201cstep up\u201d and take responsibility or step down.<\/p>\n

Efi Toledano, another demonstrator from Tel Aviv, had protested Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s government before the war. While he stopped in wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the deaths of the hostages prompted him to resume protesting on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were taught that when there\u2019s a war, we are all to be quiet and support the soldiers,\u201d said Mr. Toledano. He said that the deaths of hostages suggested that Mr. Netanyahu might be interested in continuing the war even at the expense of hostages\u2019 lives. Because of that, he added, \u201cWe are returning to sound our voice and fight against this government.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A correction was made on<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dec. 17, 2023<\/p>\n

:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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An earlier version of this post misstated the nationalities of the 105 hostages freed. They were not all Israelis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How we handle corrections<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2014 <\/span>Rachel Abrams<\/a><\/span> and Adam Sella<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to keep fighting in Gaza, even as anguish over the Israeli military’s accidental killings of