“We could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages,” said deputy US ambassador Robert Wood.

“We must be allowed to fight until the end. And we believe that fighting until the end will force Hamas to bring us back our hostages.”

18-year-old Ofir Engel recounts being taken captive during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre and held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 54 days.

About half of the 101 hostages held by the terrorists remain alive, the prime minister reportedly told lawmakers.

“There was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens, and since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defense.”

The meeting was convened in response to Hamas’s rejection of all proposals currently on the table, according to Hebrew media reports.

Israel Today asked three Israelis with very different experiences how they see the future after a year of war with Hamas.

Parents of hostages said after meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office that the president and president-elect can and must work together to force a deal.

More than 10% of UNRWA principals and senior educators in Gaza are members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, according to Israeli NGO IMPACT-se.