GAZA: Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he was ready for a “temporary ceasefire” to secure the return of captives held in Gaza, adding 20 of them were “certainly” alive. He added all of the Gaza Strip would be under Zionist control by the end of its ongoing, intensified offensive in the Palestinian territory.

“If there is an option for a temporary ceasefire to free hostages; we’ll be ready,” Netanyahu said a televised speech, adding that “there are 20 hostages that are certainly alive”. “All of the Gaza Strip will be under the (Zionist) army’s control” by the end of the current operation, Netanyahu said at a presser in Jerusalem. He added that “we must avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action”, as pressure mounted on the Zionist entity to allow aid into war-battered Gaza.

Earlier, Zionist troops fired “warning shots” during a visit by foreign diplomats to the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the military said, drawing condemnation. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged the Zionist entity to hold to account those responsible for the shooting near Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian groups and a frequent target of Zionist raids.

The Palestinian foreign ministry accused the Zionist entity of having “deliberately targeted by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation”. A European diplomat said the group had gone to the area “to see the destruction” caused by months of Zionist operations. The Zionist military said “the delegation deviated from the approved route”, prompting troops to fire “warning shots” to keep them away from “an area where they were not authorized to be”.

Belgium demanded a “convincing explanation” from the Zionist entity, while Spain said it was “in contact with other affected countries to jointly coordinate a response to what happened, which we strongly condemn”. Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Zionist ambassador to Rome and said that “threats against diplomats are unacceptable”.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, in a post on social media platform X, called the incident “unacceptable”. Paris also said it would summon the Zionist ambassador. The foreign ministry of Germany, a stalwart Zionist ally, condemned the firing and said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul would raise the “unprovoked shooting” with his Zionist counterpart.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said the firing of gunshots on diplomats, including from Turkey, was “yet another demonstration of the Zionist entity’s systematic disregard for international law and human rights”. Egypt said the incident “violates all diplomatic norms”.

Ahmad Al-Deek, political adviser for the Palestinian foreign ministry who accompanied the delegation, condemned “this reckless act by the (Zionist) army”. “It had given the diplomatic delegation an impression of the life the Palestinian people are living,” he said. Palestinian news agency Wafa reported the delegation included diplomats from more than 20 countries including Britain, China, Egypt, France, Jordan, Turkey and Russia.

The incident came as international pressure intensified over the war in Gaza, where Palestinians were desperate for supplies after a two-month aid blockade was eased. Rescue teams in the Palestinian territory said overnight Zionist strikes killed at least 82 people, including a week-old baby. The Zionist entity said 93 trucks had entered Gaza on Tuesday but faced accusations the amount fell far short of what was required. The United Nations said the aid had been held up. The world body on Monday said it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since the Zionist entity imposed a total blockade on March 2 in a move leading to critical shortages of food and medicine.

Umm Talal Al-Masri, 53, a displaced Palestinian living in an area of Gaza City, described the situation as “unbearable”. “No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven’t received anything,” she told AFP. “We’re grinding lentils and pasta to make some loaves of bread, and we barely manage to prepare one meal a day.”

Kallas said on Tuesday that “a strong majority” of foreign ministers from the 27-nation European Union backed the move to review its trade cooperation with the Zionist entity. “The countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable... and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid,” she said. Sweden said it would press the EU to impose sanctions on Zionist ministers, while Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with the Zionist entity and summoned the Zionist ambassador. Pope Leo XIV described the situation in Gaza as “worrying and painful” and called for “the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid”. After the warning shots were fired at diplomats. – Agencies