A senior Israeli official told CNN on Sunday that there will be “no ceasefire” in Gaza amid US and Qatari efforts to free more than 200 hostages held there by Hamas.
The official said they were “not aware” of US calls for a delay to Israel's expected Gaza ground operation, and said both Israel and the US want all the hostages released “as quickly as possible.”
At the same time, the official stressed, “humanitarian efforts cannot be allowed to impact the mission to dismantle Hamas.”
Earlier on Sunday, CNN reported that the US government has pressed Israel to delay its imminent ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to allow for the release of more Hamas hostages and aid into Gaza.
The National Security Council did not immediately respond for comment.
Later in the day, US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss developments in Gaza and in the surrounding region.
A statement from the White House summarizing the call said, “The President welcomed the first two convoys of humanitarian assistance since Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, which crossed the border into Gaza and is being distributed to Palestinians in need.”
“The leaders affirmed that there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza. The President expressed appreciation for Israel’s support in helping to accommodate the release of two American hostages,” the statement added.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the agreement and said, "Any agreement on continuous aid to Gaza that does not include the release of all our hostages is the continuation of the concept that led us to where we are. Humanitarian only in exchange for the release of all the hostages."
The Prime Minister's Office then clarified that "Israel will not provide any humanitarian aid to Gaza and will prevent any unsupervised supplies from others."
The call between Biden and Netanyahu took place after the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said that at the request of the US administration and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon, humanitarian aid from the United Nations containing only water, food and medical equipment was brought into the southern Gaza Strip, through the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
The statement clarified that the equipment was inspected by Israeli security officials before entering Gaza.