Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said on Wednesday that total victory in Gaza was within reach, rejecting the latest offer from Hamas for a ceasefire to ensure the return of hostages still held in the besieged enclave.
Netanyahu renewed a pledge to destroy the Palestinian Islamist movement, saying there was no alternative for Israel but bringing about the collapse of Hamas.
“The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas,” he told a press conference, insisting that total victory against Hamas was the only solution to the Gaza war.
“Continued military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the hostages.”
A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, described Netanyahu’s remarks as “political bravado” that showed the Israeli leader’s intention to continue conflict in the region.
Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said a Hamas delegation led by senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya would travel on Thursday to Cairo to pursue ceasefire talks with mediators Egypt and Qatar. Hamdan called on Palestinian armed factions to continue fighting.
There is not a commitment – there has to be a negotiation, it’s a process, and at the moment, from what I see from Hamas, it’s not happening,” Netanyahu added.
Hamas had presented its response to a proposal for a deal by calling for a phased Israeli withdrawal from the enclave during a four-and-a-half-month truce and a plan to permanently end the war, according to a copy of the group’s counteroffer obtained by CNN.
But Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel’s aim is “complete victory” and the country will “not do less than that.”
“We are on the way to complete victory. The victory is achievable; it’s not a matter of years or decades, it’s a matter of months,” he said.
Netanyahu’s response will be a blow to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is visiting the region amid intensifying efforts aimed at securing a breakthrough in the conflict. However, the Israeli leader did not rule out the possibility of further negotiations.
Hamas will now send a delegation to Cairo to follow up on its proposals for the hostage and ceasefire deal, the group’s spokesman Osama Hamdan said at a press conference in Beirut on Wednesday.
A proposal in three phases
The Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza had proposed a three-phase deal, each lasting 45 days, that would also see the gradual release of hostages held in the enclave in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel – including those serving life sentences – as well as the start of a massive humanitarian and rebuilding effort.
Contrary to earlier demands, Hamas did not call for an immediate end to the war. Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place during the truce and the remaining hostages would only be released once a final deal to end the war was agreed, the document said.
The proposal was a response to a framework agreement presented by negotiators in Paris at the end of last month.
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