By Athena Papakosta

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing that the war in the Gaza Strip will continue until total victory at a time when the Israeli people appear to be divided over whether it is possible to crush Hamas and free all the hostages.

A senior official from Egypt, who is not named, says that Israel has proposed a two-month ceasefire during which all hostages would be released in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

According to the Associated Press the same official said that Hamas rejected the offer and insists that no more hostages will be released as long as the war in the Gaza Strip continues. At the same time, Israel has not made any comment.

However, the United States says it would support a new “pause,” a temporary truce lasting 30, 60 or even 90 days. According to the spokesman of the White House Security Council, John Kirby, this would allow the release of the hostages and the provision of more humanitarian aid without, however, confirming whether Israel has actually submitted a relevant proposal although it is currently in Cairo the American special envoy of the White House for the Middle East Brett McGurk.

For their part, relatives of the hostages are calling on the Netanyahu government to reach an agreement with the Islamist Palestinian organization as, they say, time is running out for the return of their loved ones.

At the same time, one of the deadliest attacks against the Israeli armed forces was launched by Hamas, killing 24 IDF soldiers, with Israel responding by encircling Khan Younis, the second largest city in the Gaza Strip, deepening, as they emphasized in a related announcement, the their business in the area.

But the international community is pressuring Israel to stop the war and agree to start talks on the creation of a Palestinian state. The Israeli leadership, however, refers to the need to extend its military operations to the border with Egypt – an area where Palestinians displaced from the northern Gaza Strip have found refuge.

Cairo’s reaction was fierce as it is also concerned about a possible influx of refugees into the Sinai Peninsula. Already the head of the State Intelligence Service says that any move by Israel to take possession of the area in question “would lead to a serious threat” to the bilateral relations between Israel and Egypt, which signed a peace treaty four decades ago.

At the same time, the chances of wider regional conflicts remain high. The United States and the United Kingdom launched fresh strikes against pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, Tehran-backed Hezbollah also targeted a base in northern Israel with what it said was a large number of missiles for the second time in a month, while Washington struck targets of Iranians and in Iraq.

Repeating his call for an “immediate ceasefire” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that “the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to statehood could prolong indefinitely a conflict that poses a significant threat to international peace and security”.

“The United Nations recognizes and has repeatedly recognized the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people. No one can veto it,” said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, during the press conference he gave after his meeting with Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry.