It is not Israel that is preventing a deal. Hamas is preventing an agreement,” Netanyahu charged at the start of the weekly government meeting.
In advance of the talks, US President Joe Biden had said that Netanyahu needed to do more to support a deal for the remaining 133 captives.
Hamas has demanded that Israel halt the war and withdraw the IDF from Gaza, while Israel has insisted that it must complete its military mission to destroy the terror group and oust it from the enclave.
Israel has been under increased pressure from the international community to end the war, irrespective of whether the hostages are freed.
“I have made it clear to the international community: There will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages. It simply will not happen. This is the policy of the Government of Israel,” Netanyahu stated. “I welcome the fact that the Biden administration made it clear on Friday that this is still its position as well.”
Those who are calling for a ceasefire are helping Hamas resist a deal, Netanyahu said, as he indicated that Israel would not approve an agreement at all costs.
“Hamas hopes that external and internal pressure will cause Israel to capitulate to these extreme demands. That will not happen. Israel is prepared for a deal; Israel is not ready to surrender.
“Instead of the international pressure being directed at Israel, which is only causing Hamas to harden its positions, the pressure of the international community needs to be directed at Hamas. This will advance the release of the hostages,” Netanyahu stated.
Netanyahu determined to destroy Hamas
He spoke as Israel marked a half-year into the war that began on October 7, when Hamas led an attack into the southern part of the country, killing over 1,200 people and seizing another 253 captives.
Israelis struggled with the absence of a clear victory over Hamas and the lack of an agreement for the hostages, as the IDF, in a sudden move on Sunday, withdrew all of Division 98 from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. The Nahal Brigade and portions of Brigade 401 will remain in the northern and central parts of the enclave.
To destroy the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah, the IDF would have to send additional troops back into Gaza.The move, which vastly reduced the battleground’s footprints, came days after Biden warned Netanyahu that the US would change its Gaza policy unless Israel took tangible steps to mitigate Palestinian civilian fatalities.
Netanyahu told his government that he was determined to destroy Hamas and return the hostages, as negotiators in Cairo hoped to revive a deal that would allow for a six-week pause to the war in exchange for the release of some 40 captives.
According to the Arab World Press, the sticking point has been the Hamas demand that Palestinians who sought shelter in southern Gaza be allowed to return to their homes in the northern part of the enclave.
According to Al Araby, Egyptian officials are hopeful that a deal will be reached in Cairo this week to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which is marked by the Eid al-Fitr festival.
Netanyahu reminded his government that Israel’s eyes were on Tehran, as the Islamic Republic continued to blame Israel for a strike on April 1 that killed Iranian generals and threatened to retaliate.
Netanyahu said Iran was behind the Hamas-led October 7 attack.
“This war has shown the world what Israel has always known: It is Iran that stands behind its proxies’ many attacks against us. Since October 7, we have been attacked on many fronts by Iran’s proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and militias in Iraq and Syria, as well as other attacks,” Netanyahu stated.
“Whoever harms or plans to harm us – we will harm them. We are carrying out this idea in practice all the time, including recently, near and far, in our immediate surroundings and further afield. Israel is prepared – defensively and offensively – for any attempt to attack us from anywhere,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said domestic issues also threatened Israel, as he warned against those who were trying to ignite and divide the public to prevent national unity.
“This is the time for unity. However, it is precisely at this time that an extremist and violent minority is trying to drag the country into a rift. There is nothing our enemies want more. They are hoping that an internal rift and baseless hatred will stop us on the cusp of victory,” Netanyahu stated.
To that end, he condemned a ramming attack on Saturday night, in which an Israeli driver injured five demonstrators in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu said he condemned “all displays of violence among us – disturbances and violations of the law, running over demonstrators or attacking police officers, and wild incitement to violence and murder on social media. We will stand united.”