Netanyahu rejects Hamas' proposed ceasefire terms, says surrender to demands would bring disaster

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’ “delusional” conditions for a new ceasefire deal, exuding that “total victory” in Gaza is possible within months. Speaking after Hamas’ new hostage deal, Netanyahu said negotiations with the Palestinian terrorist group were “not going anywhere” and described their conditions as “bizarre”. He further argued that only military pressure would secure the release of the Israelis being held captive in the Gaza Strip. ‘No other solution, but final victory’ Talking to reporters, Netanyahu said talks are continuing to try to reach some sort of deal. “There is no other solution but a complete and final victory,” the Israeli PM said. “If Hamas will survive in Gaza, it’s only a question of time until the next massacre,” he added. ‘Israel made no specific promises’ Talking to media in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he made no specific promises regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners with blood on their hands, or any ratio for Palestinian prisoners to be freed in return for hostages in a potential deal, declaring that Israel “has not committed to anything.” “There is supposed to be some kind of negotiation via the intermediaries. But right now, given what I see from the response by Hamas [to the Israel-backed framework for talks on a deal], they’re not there,” the Israeli PM said. “Surrender to Hamas’s delusional demands, that we’ve just heard, not only would not bring about the freedom of the hostages, but it would only invite an additional slaughter; it would invite disaster for Israel that no Israeli citizens want,” Netanyahu said. What’s Hamas’ ceasefire plan? According to a report by Reuters, Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan that would see a four-and-a-half-month or 135-day truce during which hostages would be freed in three phases, and which would lead to an end to the war. It is said to be a counterplan to a ceasefire deal proposed by Qatari and Egyptian mediators last week. Speaking to the families of the hostages last week, Netanyahu insisted their return remains a top priority and that “continued military pressure is an essential condition for the freeing of the hostages.” The Israeli PM also said he told visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel is “within touching distance of absolute victory,” and that Hamas’s defeat will be the “victory of the entire free world.” “The victory is within reach,” he stated, predicting that the war would be won in a “matter of months” rather than years or decades. Talking about how the troops can achieve an absolute victory if Israel is currently withdrawing forces, Netanyahu replied that “this is a process that takes time” and denied that Hamas is reestablishing itself in northern Gaza, where the IDF, he said, is engaged in ongoing raids to tackle the remaining “splinters.” “There is no alternative to the military collapse [of Hamas]. There will not be a civilian collapse [of Hamas rule] without a military one,” he said. “The ‘day after’ is the day after Hamas,” Netanyahu continued, saying that he had informed Blinken that after Hamas is destroyed, Israel will “ensure that Gaza is demilitarized forever” — a goal which will be achieved through Jerusalem retaining the freedom to “act in Gaza wherever and whenever it needs to, to ensure that terror does not again raise its head.” The Israeli PM also said he is trying to recruit regional players to help with future civil governance, but he does not believe this effort will succeed unless and until it is clear that Hamas is defeated. Outside players remain fearful that they “would get a bullet in the head” from Hamas, he asserted, adding that it is “not serious” to believe that you can destroy the civil governance of Hamas before you have destroyed its military capabilities. “There is no alternative to the military collapse [of Hamas]. There will not be a civilian collapse [of Hamas rule] without a military one,” he said. With inputs from agencies