FM: Israel will continue war on Gaza with or without int’l support

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said yesterday that agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza at this stage would be a “mistake”, adding that Israel will continue its war on the besieged enclave with or without the international community’s support.

“A ceasefire at the current stage will be a gift to the Hamas terrorist organisation and will allow it to threaten the population of Israel again,” Cohen said.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden warned that Israel has begun to lose international support due to its “indiscriminate bombing” of the Gaza Strip, and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change his government because it “does not want a two-state solution.”

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Regarding the borders with Lebanon, the Israeli minister said he had asked the deputy foreign minister to work on the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution No. 1701, saying that “failure” to implement the resolution will “undermine regional stability and may lead to war in Lebanon”.

Since 8 October, Hezbollah and Palestinian factions have been exchanging fire with the Israeli occupation army on the Lebanese-Israeli border, “in solidarity with the Gaza Strip”.