Katz’s remarks came during a phone call with British Defense Secretary John Healey on Thursday.
Israel’s Security Minister Israel Katz has called on the UK to “oppose any ceasefire proposal in Gaza if it is not conditional on the release of the hostages,” the Middle East Monitor reported.
His remarks came during a phone call with British Defense Secretary John Healey on Thursday.
“We are operating with full force against any Iranian attempts to smuggle weapons into Lebanon, and we expect the UK to join efforts to prevent Hezbollah’s armament,” Katz said, according to a statement issued by his office.
The Israeli official noted that “the most critical issue for Israel is the return of the hostages,” and emphasized that he expects the UK to “oppose any ceasefire proposal in Gaza that is not conditional on the release of the hostages.”
‘Right to Defend Itself’
Katz said, “Israel responds decisively to any violations of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and will not allow a return to past realities, aiming to restore a sense of security for northern residents.”
Israeli minister urges UK to oppose any Gaza ceasefire proposalhttps://t.co/HgPzp1CCqp
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) November 29, 2024
The defense minister claimed that “Iran continues its constant efforts to establish new terror fronts against Israel, including an eastern front in Judea and Samaria,” a reference to the occupied West Bank.
Healey, according to Katz’s office, reiterated his “support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” said MEMO.
Staggering Death Toll
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
For 420 days of the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation persists in its deliberate targeting of civilians, killing dozens of Palestinians daily, including women and children.
According to medical sources, at least 32 Palestinians have been killed… pic.twitter.com/xpCbPBv0O9
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 29, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,330 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 104,933 wounded.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(MEMO, PC)
