Netanyahu has declared there will be no cessation of hostilities in Gaza. He must be persuaded otherwise

Editorial: The Israeli prime minister spoke defiantly, yet the spiral of violence promises to intensify – and to spread and spiral out of control. Against this background, an immediate temporary ceasefire is essential

Terrorism is a hydra, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel still lacks an exit strategy (AP)

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed Israel will not agree to a cessation of fighting with Hamas, comparing the attacks on 7 October to the atrocities of 9/11.

“Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbour or after the terrorist attack of 9/11, Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas after the horrific attacks of 7 October,” he said in a press conference. “Calls for a ceasefire are a call for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen.”

His words come as plumes of smoke, the images of tanks trundling through virtual moonscapes of rubble, the children killed during the bombings, and the testimony of trusted media and international aid agencies all confirm that the plight of Gaza is worsening by the day.