Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposed Hamas ceasefire deal on Wednesday, slamming the terrorists’ claims as “fantasy” – but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed there was still hope for an agreement.
Netanyahu reiterated during a press event in Tel Aviv that Israel would not bow to the demands of Hamas, which has called for a four-and-a-half-month ceasefire to free the remaining 136 hostages in Gaza.
Instead, the prime minister said the Israeli army would press on to Gaza until it achieved “absolute victory” in the four-month-old war.
“Giving in to the imaginary demands of Hamas that we are hearing now will not only not lead to the release of prisoners, it will only invite another massacre,” Netanyahu said.
“We are on the way to absolute victory,” he added, claiming the war would end in 2024. “There is no other solution.”
Netanyahu also rejected any deal that would leave Hamas in full or partial control of the Palestinian territories, a sentiment supported by the US.
He, again, claimed that foreign powers should also be excluded from having a say on what Gaza looks like after the war, because Israel is “the only power” capable of creating long-term security.
Netanyahu, however, did not rule out the possibility for Israel to issue its own counterproposal.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli army would press on into Gaza until it achieved “absolute victory.” AP
The prime minister’s comments came after a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on his fifth visit to the region and has pushed for an agreement between Hamas and Israel.
Despite what the prime minister said, Blinken remains optimistic that the ceasefire agreement can still go ahead.
“Even if there are some people who don’t initiate the Hamas response, we think it creates space for an agreement to be reached,” Blinken told reporters on Wednesday.
Israel War Update
Get the most important developments in the region, globally and locally.
Thank you for signing up!
He said he will continue to talk to Netanyahu and what Israel needs to send to negotiators in Cairo, as the US remains committed to helping press for the release of the hostages and an end to the war in Gaza.
Blinken did not elaborate on what could save the deal, but said negotiators will continue to work until they reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas.
President Biden was also briefed on the proposal, calling the terrorist demands “a little over the top,” but agreed that negotiators should continue to seek a deal.
Netanyahu rejected Hamas’s terms for a cease-fire and a hostage-release deal. AP
Hamas has proposed three phases to the deal, each lasting 45 days, with the first phase seeing all women and men under the age of 19, as well as the elderly and sick, released.
The hostages will be exchanged for Palestinian women and minors held in Israeli prisons, similar to the exchange agreement carried out last November.
The second phase will only begin when Israel and Hamas mutually agree to end the fighting in Gaza, with Hamas releasing all remaining male hostages under the condition that Israel withdraw its troops.
The final phase will see the bodies and bodies of dead hostages released. Israeli officials believe that Hamas has the bodies of at least 32 hostages who died either during the October 7 terrorist attack or while in custody.
A source close to the talks told Reuters that Hamas also wanted assurances from negotiators that the ceasefire agreement would be upheld and would not collapse once the hostages were released.
Blinken insisted that a peaceful resolution to the war, with Hamas out of power in Gaza, would help stabilize the region and end the fighting that has erupted in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
Despite rejecting the Hamas deal, Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces have maintained that the best way to ensure a fair deal and the freedom of the hostages is through military pressure.
“It will not happen without military pressure, let us not deceive ourselves, that is why throughout the Strip we are applying pressure with fire, with [ground] move, with surprise raids, and we will continue to do so in a very, very high-quality way,” said IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Herzi Halevi in a statement after Hamas presented its proposal.
The Israeli government, however, continues to face criticism from the families of the hostages still in Gaza, with their supporters holding daily protests in Tel Aviv to demand that Netanyahu do whatever it takes to free their relatives.
The prime minister’s position also appears to be at odds with the majority of Israelis, with a recent poll from the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute finding that most citizens want their country to prioritize the release of the hostages. overcome Hamas.
A poll of more than 760 people published on Tuesday showed that about 51% believe the main goal of the war is to free the hostages in Gaza, while only around a third believe defeating Hamas should be the priority.
With Postal wire
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
