Some 130 Israelis still being held by Hamas will not be released, a militant leader said after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the terror group’s terms to end the war Sunday.
“In exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands an end to the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all murderers and rapists,” Netanyahu stated in a video address.
“And leaving Hamas intact. I flatly reject the terms of the handover of the monster Hamas,” he added.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, responded by saying Bibi’s refusal to end the military offensive in the region “means there is no chance of his return [Israeli] captive,” who was kidnapped in the group’s terrorist attack on October 7.
Under a deal brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt in late November, more than 100 of the estimated 240 hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attacks were released in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
A Hamas official said there was “no chance” the remaining hostages would be released after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the terror group’s terms to end the war. Reuters
Netanyahu has faced mounting pressure to release the 136 hostages who remain in Gaza.
The hostage’s relatives demanded action during a protest outside his residence late Sunday.
“We need the government to solve the problem they created and bring these hostages home immediately,” said Jon Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, according to Reuters.
The Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons demanded that the prime minister “clearly state that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers and others who were abducted in the October disaster.”
Supporters and families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza hold pictures of their loved ones during a protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home. Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Photo/Shutterstock Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons demands action by the prime minister. AFP via Getty Images
“We must advance the agreement now. If the prime minister decides to sacrifice hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public,” the group said in a statement.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, took a stronger stance on the issue of Palestinian statehood than before.
“I will not compromise with Israel’s complete security control over all the territories west of the Jordan River,” he said.
On Friday, President Joe Biden said he spoke with Netanyahu about a possible solution to creating an independent Palestinian state and suggested that one path could involve a demilitarized government.
Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. AFP via Getty Images
Netanyahu appeared to reject Biden’s statement on Palestinian statehood after the Israel-Hamas war ended because the two leaders disagreed on the Palestinians having a state, a solution Biden advocated for long-term peace.
On Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated that he would insist on “full Israeli security control over all of Jordan’s western territories.”
He said he had resisted “international and internal pressure” to change this position and would continue to do so.
Israeli forces operating in the Gaza Strip. via REUTERS
“My insistence is what has prevented for years the establishment of a Palestinian state which would pose an inherent danger to Israel,” the prime minister said.
Gaza’s health ministry announced Sunday that 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the United Nations.
UN chief António Guterres on Sunday described the scale of civilian deaths as “heartbreaking and totally unacceptable.”
“Israeli military operations have spread massive destruction and killed civilians on an unprecedented scale during my time as secretary-general,” Guterres said at a global summit in Uganda.
US intelligence officials told The Wall Street Journal Sunday that Israel had killed only about 20% to 30% of the estimated 25,000 to 30,000 Hamas militants, and claimed that IDF officials had exaggerated enemy casualties during their more than three-month war.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
