(VOVWORLD) - Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi announced Wednesday that the IDF will step up military activities in the Gaza Strip.
 Ruined scene after Israel's airstrike on the Gaza Strip on March 31, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
He made the statement one day after the Israeli negotiating delegation left Cairo to return home, emphasizing that this is the only way to achieve the goals set in the fight against Hamas. The Israeli army continued to launch attacks combining infantry, artillery, and air forces on targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Wednesday said Israel's rejection of the right of the people of Gaza to return home is the main thing hindering negotiations.
The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, said Hamas is committed to complying with the ceasefire conditions in the Gaza Strip and that Israel must also withdraw its troops.
Speaking on television on Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), Haniyeh emphasized that all parties need to commit to those conditions, in addition to creating conditions for all displaced persons to return home, allowing all necessary aid activities for the people of Gaza, rebuilding the territory, lifting the blockade, and reaching a prisoner exchange agreement.
The European Union on Wednesday condemned the airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven people, and called on countries in the region to show restraint. In this tense situation, it is imperative to show utmost restraint, Peter Stano, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said on X.
140 countries on Tuesday supported Palestine's request to become a full member of the UN. They asked the UN Security Council to revive the application for admission that Palestine submitted in 2011.