As Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Israel and consulted with PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet, the Israeli government rebuffed demands for concrete concessions on key issues of contention. Bibi announced that there would be not fuel allowed into Gaza, and there would be no “pause” in fighting without release of hostages.

The Israelis applied pressure of their own, with the families of more than 150 Israeli hostages demonstrating opposite their meeting place and the Israeli delegation screening for Blinken’s entourage a short versions of the graphic film of Hamas atrocities that has shocked journalistics and diplomats around the world.

As the sun began to dip to the horizon Friday, ushering in the start of Shabbat, Netanyahu stood firm against international pressure, delivering a resolute message on national television. Despite the presence of Blinken in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu rejected any notion of a temporary ceasefire with Hamas that doesn’t ensure the release of Israeli hostages.

Netanyahu said: “I have told visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel rejects any temporary halt to the fight against Hamas that does not include the release of our hostages.” His unyielding stance comes amid Blinken’s call for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into the besieged Gaza, reflecting a delicate balance between diplomatic pressures and national resolve. It also comes in the wake of the bumbling remarks of President Biden, in response to the demand of a transsexual “rabbi” heckler in Minnesota, that he favored a “pause” to allow humanitarian air and release of “prisoners.”

“We will not enable the entry of fuel to Gaza,” Netanyahu added, highlighting his government’s strategy to maintain pressure on Hamas by restricting military resources into the region.

Netanyahu’s address to the nation underscored a commitment to a decisive and long-term victory over Hamas. “We won’t stop until victory,” he declared, indicating that such a victory would not only dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities but also secure the safe return of abducted Israelis and the safety of citizens across the country.

The Prime Minister paid homage to Israel’s soldiers, stalwarts at the front lines, who, he said, are relentlessly targeting terrorists in Gaza. He emphasized the close-knit operations between ground forces and air support, “killing terrorists around the clock.”

In a stark warning that echoed through the charged political atmosphere, Netanyahu cautioned adversaries to the north, presumably Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah, who had earlier threatened Israel and US interests in the region. “You cannot imagine how much this will cost you,” he warned, signaling Israel’s readiness to expand its military response if provoked.

Netanyahu’s comments on Blinken’s visit were carefully phrased, expressing appreciation for the support of President Biden and the US, yet firmly relaying Israel’s conditions for peace. The Prime Minister shared that he exposed Blinken to the harsh realities of Hamas’s brutality, a topic that Blinken had acknowledged in his earlier press statements.

As Netanyahu concluded, he paid tribute to the human cost that Israel has borne since the onset of hostilities on October 7. Mourning the loss of “wonderful fighters, incredible Israelis… people who blocked these monsters with their bodies,” he stressed Israel’s strategic approach to minimize the danger to its personnel while retaining a readiness to take all necessary actions to subdue the enemy.

Netanyahu’s steadfast position underscores the volatility of the current conflict and the complexities involved in navigating the demands of international diplomacy while addressing the immediate security concerns of the nation.