Netanyahu says he will not agree to end Gaza war – NBC Los Angeles

The viability of a US-backed proposal to end the eight-month war in Gaza has been thrown into doubt after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was only willing to agree to a “partial” ceasefire that would not end the war, sparking an uproar among the families of hostages held by Hamas.

In an interview broadcast late Sunday on Israel’s Channel 14, a conservative, pro-Netanyahu channel, the Israeli president said he was “ready to make a partial deal – this is no secret – that gives us back some of the people,” referring to the roughly 120 hostages still held in Gaza. “But we are determined to continue the war after a pause to achieve the goal of destroying Hamas. I am not ready to give up that goal.”

Netanyahu’s comments do not deviate significantly from what he has previously said about his terms for a deal. But they come at a sensitive time, as Israel and Hamas appear to be drifting further apart over the latest ceasefire proposal, and could represent another setback for mediators trying to end the war.

Netanyahu’s comments were in sharp contrast to the outlines of the agreement detailed by US President Joe Biden late last month. He described the plan as Israeli and some in Israel are calling it “Netanyahu’s deal.” His remarks could further strain Israel’s relations with the US, its most important ally, which has launched a major diplomatic initiative on the latest ceasefire proposal.

The three-phase plan calls for the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held captive in Israel. But disputes and mistrust remain between Israel and Hamas over how the deal will play out.

Hamas has insisted it will not release the remaining hostages unless there is a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. When Biden announced the latest proposal, he said it included both.

But Netanyahu says Israel remains committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities and ensuring it can never again carry out an attack like the one on Oct. 7. A full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, where Hamas’s top leadership and much of its forces are still intact, would almost certainly give the group control of the territory and enable it to rearm.

In the interview, Netanyahu said the current phase of fighting was coming to an end, paving the way for Israel to send more troops to the northern border to confront Lebanese militant Hezbollah, which could open a new war front. But he said that does not mean the war in Gaza is over.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant discussed tensions on the Lebanon border with Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to Biden, during his trip to Washington. He echoed Netanyahu’s remark that the war in Gaza was entering a new phase that could affect other conflicts, including Hezbollah.

Israel is close to dismantling Hamas military brigades in the southern city of Rafah and will retain “full control” of the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategic buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said. Israel says the corridor is riddled with tunnels that Hamas uses to smuggle weapons and other goods. Halevi said Israel’s control of the buffer zone will put an end to that.

During the first six-week phase of the proposed ceasefire, the sides are expected to negotiate an agreement on the second phase, which Biden said would include the release of all surviving hostages, including male soldiers, and Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza. The temporary ceasefire would become permanent.

Hamas appears to be concerned that Israel could resume the war once the weakest hostages are back. And even if that does not happen, Israel could, during this phase of negotiations, make demands that were not part of the original agreement and are unacceptable to Hamas – and then resume the war if Hamas rejects them.

Netanyahu’s comments heightened these concerns. After their publication, Hamas said they were an “unequivocal confirmation of his rejection” of the US-backed agreement, which also received the support of the UN Security Council.

In a statement late Sunday after Netanyahu’s lengthy television interview, the Palestinian militant group said his position was “contrary” to what the US government had allegedly approved of Israel. The group said its insistence that any agreement must include a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza was “an unavoidable necessity to block Netanyahu’s attempts at evasion, deception and sustaining aggression and war of extermination against our people.”

Netanyahu shot back, saying in a statement from his office that Hamas was opposed to a deal. He said Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until all 120 hostages were returned.

Hamas welcomed the outlines of the US plan but reportedly proposed “modifications”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a visit to the region earlier this month, said some of Hamas’ demands were “feasible” and others were not, without elaborating.

Both Netanyahu and Hamas have an interest in continuing the devastating war, despite the catastrophic casualties it has inflicted on civilians in Gaza and despite growing anger in Israel that, even after so many months, Israel has not achieved its goals of releasing the hostages and defeating Hamas.

The hostages’ families have grown increasingly impatient with Netanyahu, seeing his apparent reluctance to push forward with a deal as clouded by political considerations. A group representing the families condemned Netanyahu’s comments, which it viewed as Israeli rejection of the latest ceasefire proposal.

“This is an abandonment of the 120 hostages and a violation of the state’s moral duty to its citizens,” the statement said. Netanyahu is responsible for the return of all prisoners.

In their cross-border attack on October 7, Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and captured 250, including women, children and the elderly. Dozens were released under a temporary ceasefire in late November, and of the 120 remaining hostages, about a third are dead, according to Israel.

According to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-ruled territory, more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory war. The war triggered a humanitarian crisis and led to the displacement of most of the territory’s 2.3 million residents.