Netanyahu Rules Out Temporary Cease-Fire as IDF Surrounds Gaza City

Facts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a brief televised statement before the start of Shabbat that he has told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that there will be no temporary cease-fire in Gaza until Hamas releases all hostages.¹
Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday to push for short pauses in the fighting in specific areas to allow aid deliveries and other humanitarian activities amid threats of a wider war and mounting civilian casualties.²
On his fourth visit to Israel since the October attack, the top US diplomat also met Pres. Isaac Herzog and the war cabinet before declaring that more has to be done to protect Palestinian civilians, suggesting that US support for its ally isn't without limits.³
This comes as the Israel Defense Forces claimed to have 'completed the encirclement of Gaza City,' attacking outposts, headquarters and other alleged Hamas infrastructures. It's unclear how many civilians are currently in the city located in the north of the Gaza Strip.⁴
Meanwhile, Hamas' military wing al-Qassam Brigades reportedly warned that continued ground operations in Gaza would be a 'curse of history' for Israel and have catastrophic consequences, threatening to send Israeli troops back home 'in black bags.'⁵
In addition, the UN condemned on Thursday Israeli air attacks on the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza — which Tel Aviv claims targeted a Hamas commander — arguing that such actions could amount to a war crime.⁶

Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Jerusalem Post. Though sympathy for Palestinian civilians is understandable since they are, to some extent, victims of their abhorrent leadership, an immediate cease-fire would neither be reasonable nor right. Israel will continue to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza as much as tactically possible but Tel Aviv must show strength so as to neutralize terrorists from Hamas and prevent further attacks from other Iranian proxies.
Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. By urging for a 'humanitarian pause' instead of calling for a complete cessation of hostilities, the US is intentionally aggravating the suffering of Gaza's civilian population. Rather than taking concrete steps to avoid an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Blinken has engaged in inconsequential talks in Tel Aviv at a time when Israel has clearly stated that a cease-fire wasn't an option.