Israeli FM Sa’ar in Prague: Israel to end war in Gaza after achieving three goals

Israel will end its war in Gaza after achieving three goals: the return of kidnapped hostages, dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure, and removing the security threat to Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said after meeting with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavský in Prague on Thursday.

Mr. Sa’ar also said that Israel has appealed the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, calling it outrageous.

Czech Foreign Minister Lipavský emphasized that the immediate release of hostages has been Czechia's main demand in international resolutions. He called for direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine's legitimate political representatives for a lasting solution and noted that the Czech Foreign Ministry has committed over CZK 25 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza over the past year.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza, more than 44,000 Palestinians have died, with over 105,000 injured, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health data.

Several dozen people protested against Saar's visit to Czechia at the Foreign Ministry building. They demanded that Czech relations with Israel be severed and that the Czech Republic support sanctions against the country in the European Union.