Israel Rejects Ceasefire Proposal, Vows to Continue Fighting Hezbollah

Israel has rejected calls for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, pledging to continue its fight against Hezbollah militants “until victory.” The United States, France, and other allies had proposed the ceasefire in response to the escalating conflict, but Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, made it clear on Thursday that the country would not halt its military operations.

“There will be no ceasefire in the north,” Katz stated on social media platform X. “We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that he had not responded to the ceasefire proposal, instructing the military to proceed with “full force.”

The rejection comes amid intense fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon have killed hundreds of people in the past week, while Hezbollah has retaliated with numerous rocket attacks on northern Israel. The Israeli military reported further strikes on southern Lebanon late Thursday, targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the eastern Bekaa valley and southern Lebanon, which have seen large numbers of civilians fleeing their homes.

The conflict has displaced around 118,000 people in Lebanon over the past week, according to the International Organization for Migration. A strike on the town of Yunin, near Baalbek, killed at least 20 people, the Lebanese health ministry reported. “It was one of the worst nights we’ve lived through,” said Fadia Rafic Yaghi, a 70-year-old shop owner from Baalbek.

Israel’s military announced that it had received an $8.7 billion aid package from the United States to support its ongoing military efforts. The funding emphasizes Washington’s support for Israel, despite calls for a ceasefire. A joint statement from U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron described the situation in Lebanon as “intolerable” and “in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor the people of Lebanon.”

Despite the push for peace, violence shows no signs of easing. Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at northern Israel on Thursday, with the Israeli military intercepting many of them. The group claimed that its attacks targeted defense industry complexes near Haifa and the northern town of Safed. One Israeli man was hospitalized with shrapnel injuries.

The situation has also drawn painful comparisons to the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, which left over 1,200 people dead in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers. For many, the memories of that conflict are still fresh. Hassan Slim, who fled his home in southern Lebanon for safety in Syria, said, “We didn’t think the situation would degenerate so quickly. Now war is at our doorstep and we have to flee.”

Meanwhile, in Gaza, the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has claimed thousands of lives since it began on October 7, following a deadly Hamas attack on Israel. An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza killed at least 15 people on Thursday, with the military saying it targeted Hamas fighters. The conflict has killed over 41,500 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Diplomats have stressed that resolving the Gaza conflict is crucial for peace in Lebanon, but efforts to negotiate a ceasefire have so far failed. Israel remains firm in its stance, vowing to continue military operations against both Hezbollah and Hamas.

For Israelis like David Lander, a 67-year-old resident of Haifa, the fight is necessary. “I’m against a temporary ceasefire,” he said. “I want the citizens of the north to be able to go back to their homes.” As the conflict continues to escalate, hopes for a peaceful resolution remain uncertain.