While Israel was willing to compromise in the negotiations for a hostage deal, Hamas has only hardened its stance, and its demands have repercussions that "I cannot expand on," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference on Sunday night.
The press conference coincided with a mass protest just outside the prime minister's office, and the noise could be heard from the conference room.
The prime minister said that the pain of the hostage families "broke his heart" and that whenever the opportunity to save a hostage militarily arrived, he approved it. But instead of giving in to Hamas demands to free the rest of the hostages, the main effort was a mix of "military pressure" and "determined negotiations."
Netanyahu said that one of the Hamas demands was to "cancel" the humanitarian corridor that split the Strip in two and enable "unchecked" return of hostages to the northern part of the Strip. This Israel could not accept, he said.
Countering protesters who have claimed that he is not doing enough to free the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas, the prime minister said that "whoever says that I am not doing everything to free our hostages - is wrong and misleading."
And countering calls for an election, Netanyahu argued that an election now would "paralyze" the country, bring an end to the war, [and] freeze the [hostage] negotiations, and the first to celebrate this will be Hamas," he said.
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid, who spoke at the protest while Netanyahu spoke at the press conference, wrote on X in response, "Mr. Netanyahu, elections won't paralyze the country. It is already paralyzed. The war against Hamas is paralyzed, a hostage deal is paralyzed, the north is paralyzed, and mainly, your government is paralyzed and failing," Lapid wrote.
Hamas claims Israel trying to "obstruct" negotiations
Hamas political bureau member Osama Hamdan said that there is no talk about a new round of negotiations, Qatar state-owned media Al Jazeera reported Sunday.
"We appreciate the efforts of the mediators, but the Israeli side is trying to obstruct the negotiations," said Hamdan, according to Al Jazeera.
"What is required is an end to the aggression and occupation, and we have the right to establish a sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital," added Hamdan, according to Al Jazeera.
Hamdan also appeared to address an Arab peacekeeping force that Israel is reportedly considering allowing to serve in the Gaza Strip as part of a US-funded mission, according to Israeli media.
"Any attempt to invest in an Arab role in confronting the Palestinians and their hopes will not succeed," Hamdan told Al Jazeera.
The statement came as hostage negotiations were set to continue after Netanyahu approved a Mossad and Shin Bet delegation to continue talks in Cairo on Saturday and as the cabinet was set to meet Sunday night.
The Israeli delegation landed in Cairo Sunday, according to a Kan report, and had “room to take action” in continuing negotiations, the PMO added, addressing how much authority teams were given.
Netanyahu met with families of hostages on Sunday, following a meeting last week with families of soldiers being held hostage.