Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday, issued a statement outlining the five principles for ending the war in Gaza that Israel’s security cabinet settled on in a meeting one week ago.
The five principles are: Hamas must be disarmed, all hostages, the living and the deceased, are to be returned. “We will not give up on a single one,” declared Netanyahu. The Gaza Strip is to be demilitarised. Not only must Hamas be disarmed, but it must be ensured that weapons will neither be produced in Gaza nor smuggled into it.
The fourth one will be, there will be Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip, including the security perimeter. There will be an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority, people who will neither educate their children for terrorism, nor finance terrorism, nor dispatch terrorism.
“These five principles will ensure the security of Israel. This is the meaning of the word ‘victory’,” said Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday welcomed the UN’s decision to add Hamas to its “blacklist” of groups committing sexual crimes in armed conflicts, calling it an overdue recognition of atrocities committed since October 7.
“Hamas terrorists have committed – and continue to commit – some of the most horrific sexual crimes known to humanity: rape, gang rape, genital mutilation, sexual abuse in captivity. Now, the UN officially recognises this fact,” the ministry said.
The ministry said the inclusion came after “hard work” by Israeli diplomats, noting that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had initially opposed the move last year. “Today, the UN is expected to send all members of the General Assembly the Secretary-General’s report… and the report includes the terrorist organisation Hamas for the first time.”
With inputs from ANI
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
