Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire proposal
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Hamas demands for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with a military offensive in Gaza until “total victory” is achieved.
Hamas put forward its own far-reaching proposal for a permanent end to the fighting late on Tuesday via Qatari and Egyptian mediators, detailing a three-phase plan to unfold over four and a half months.
The plan, in response to a proposal drawn up by the US, Israel, Qatar and Egypt, stipulates that all hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including senior militants, and an end to the war.
Netanyahu said, “Continued military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the hostages.”
Hamas and Israel have remained strongly divided on any conditions for a ceasefire. Israel wants to remove Hamas from power in Gaza, while Hamas has wanted to maintain control over the coastal enclave. Israel has made destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities a central justification of its war.
Netanyahu ruled out any arrangement that leaves the Palestinian militant group in full or partial control of Gaza.
In a news conference shortly after meeting the US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Netanyahu said Israel would achieve total victory “in a matter of months”.
He said, Israel is the “only power” that can guarantee long-term security, adding, “The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas.”
Blinken’s four-nation trip to the Middle East has publicly highlighted how US-Israel relations are at their worst level since the war began.
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