The viability of a US-backed proposal to wind down the eight-month-long war in Gaza was cast into doubt yesterday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only be willing to agree to a “partial” ceasefire deal that would not end the war, comments that sparked an uproar from families of hostages held by Hamas.
In an interview broadcast late on Sunday on Israeli Channel 14, the Israeli leader said he was “prepared to make a partial deal — this is no secret — that will return to us some of the people,” referring to the roughly 120 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
“But we are committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas. I’m not willing to give up on that,” he added.
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Netanyahu’s comments did not deviate dramatically from what he has said previously about his terms for a deal, but they come at a sensitive time as Israel and Hamas appear to be moving further apart over the latest ceasefire proposal.
Netanyahu’s comments stood in sharp contrast to the outlines of the deal detailed late last month by US President Joe Biden, who framed the plan as an Israeli one and which some in Israel refer to as “Netanyahu’s deal.”
The three-phased plan would bring about the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, but disputes and mistrust persist between Israel and Hamas over how the deal plays out.
Hamas has insisted it would not release the remaining hostages unless there is a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
In the interview, Netanyahu said that the current phase of fighting is ending, setting the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in what could open up a new war front.
However, he said that did not mean the war in Gaza was over.
Hamas said that Netanyahu’s comments represented “unmistakable confirmation of his rejection” of the US-supported deal. In a statement late on Sunday, the Palestinian militant group said his position was “in contrast” to what the US administration said that Israel had approved.
The group said that its insistence that any deal should include a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces out of the entire Gaza Strip “was an inevitable necessity to block Netanyahu’s attempts of evasion, deception and perpetuation of aggression and the war of extermination against our people.”
Netanyahu shot back and in a statement from his office said Hamas opposed a deal.
He said Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until all 120 hostages are returned.
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