CHRIS MITCHELL
12-01-2023

"I told him: 'This is the same Hamas. This is the same Hamas that carried out the terrible massacre on October 7, the same Hamas that tries to murder us everywhere.' I told him: 'We swore, and I swore, to eliminate Hamas. Nothing will stop us.'  We will continue this war until we achieve the three goals: to release all our abductees, to eliminate Hamas completely, and to ensure that Gaza will never again face such a threat."

Blinken repeated the Biden administration's message that there should be fewer civilian deaths and displacement in operations in southern Gaza than was experienced in northern Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 is reporting Blinken gave Israel "weeks" to finish the job of destroying Hamas.

“In my meetings today with the Prime Minister and senior Israeli officials, I made clear that before Israel resumes major military operations, it must put in place humanitarian, civilian protection plans that minimize further casualties of innocent Palestinians," Blinken stated.

Crowds of Palestinians in the West Bank celebrated the release of more than 200 Israeli-held prisoners during the ceasefire. Many of those released had been convicted of terrorism, including attempted murder, stabbings, and bombings.
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