Israeli PM reaffirms "no cease-fire in Gaza without release of hostages"

JERUSALEM, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel will not agree to a cease-fire in Gaza unless the hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7 are freed.

He made the remarks in a meeting with officials of the West Bank settlements, according to a statement released by his office.

"I would like to put aside all kinds of idle rumors that we hear from all kinds of directions, and repeat one clear thing: there will be no cease-fire without the release of our hostages," the statement quoted Netanyahu as saying.

The prime minister's claim came after media reports of Qatar brokering negotiations, in coordination with the United States, in an attempt to reach a deal to release 10 to 15 hostages in Gaza in exchange for a one to two-day humanitarian pause in Israel's fatal attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

Also on Wednesday, Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement that "Israel refused to create conditions for the release of hostages and thwarted the process of releasing 12 of them."

He accused Israel of being "the one who hinders efforts to release detainees and foreigners and puts their lives in danger."

Israel struck Gaza in retaliation for a cross-border Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, during which Hamas militants also took about 240 hostages. The bloody conflict, raging for over a month, has led to the deaths of at least 10,569 Palestinians in Gaza and killed 1,400 people in Israel, the vast majority in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.