Netanyahu Rejects Calls for a Cease-fire — and for His Resignation.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Israel’s prime minister adopted a defiant tone in a rare news briefing, saying that the country would not agree to a halt in attacks because, he argued, doing so would strengthen Hamas.


Striking a defiant tone at a rare news briefing on Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel ruled out a cease-fire in Gaza, dismissed calls for his resignation and rejected criticism of Israel’s strikes on civilian homes.

Mr. Netanyahu’s political opponents have called for him to resign over his failure to stop the attacks of Oct. 7, when terrorists from Gaza raided Israel and killed more than 1,400 people.

Abroad, the conduct of the Israeli counterattack on Gaza — which has killed more than 8,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry — has generated widespread outcry, with humanitarian groups and the United Nations General Assembly calling for a cease-fire. » | Patrick Kingsley | Reporting from Benjamin Netanyahu’s news briefing in Tel Aviv | Monday, October 30, 2023