Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar insisted on Wednesday that his country is not entirely against extending the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza to enable the release of more hostages but warned that the clock for that is ticking.
"Hamas, which insists on continuing to hold the hostages and refuses to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, is pushing for the resumption of war in Gaza," Sa'ar said in a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Maria Malmer Stenergard in Jerusalem. "Israel will no longer tolerate the ongoing threat from the Gaza Strip to its security and citizens."
Previously, Hamas claimed that it remains open to negotiating with Israel while blaming the suspension of the ongoing truce on that country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Israel issued an evacuation order for several parts of Gaza City amid its ground operation there.
