Netanyahu said that accepting Hamas’s conditions would mean leaving the armed group “intact” and that Israel’s soldiers had “fallen in vain”.
The Prime Minister of Israel – Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected a proposal by Hamas to end the war in Gaza wherein they will release all the captives in exchange for withdrawing Israeli forces and accepting the armed group’s governance of Gaza.
Netanyahu said that accepting Hamas’s conditions would mean leaving the armed group “intact” and that Israel’s soldiers had “fallen in vain”.
Earlier in November 2023, Hamas freed more than 100 captives in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners as part of a brief truce brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. Hamas is still holding 136 people in captivity.
Speaking on the occasion, Netanyahu said, “I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas. If we accept this, we won’t be able to guarantee the safety of our citizens. We will not be able to bring evacuees home safely and the next October 7 will only be a matter of time.”
Netanyahu had earlier opposed the idea of an independent Palestinian State proposed by the President of the United States (U.S.) – Joe Biden. He said he would not compromise on full Israeli security control over the entire area in the West of Jordan. Netanyahu is under pressure on the domestic front, as families of the captives call for a deal to secure the return of their loved ones and members of his far-right ruling coalition pushing for an escalation of the war amidst growing differences with the Biden Administration.
Taking it to X, he tweeted (translated to English), “My insistence is what prevented for years the establishment of a Palestinian state which would have posed an existential danger to Israel. As long as I am prime minister, I will continue to firmly stand by it.” Original tweet in Hebrew:
ההתעקשות שלי היא שמנעה במשך שנים הקמת מדינה פלסטינית שהייתה מהווה סכנה קיומית לישראל.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) January 21, 2024
כל עוד אני ראש הממשלה אמשיך לעמוד עליה בתקיפות. pic.twitter.com/mWSMMNZb6G
On Sunday evening, family members of those held as hostage by Hamas staged a protest outside Netanyahu’s private home in Jerusalem, pledging not to leave until he agrees to a deal on the captives’ release.
A Statement from the family members read, “If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public,” the group said in a statement.”
Trouble started when Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack by air, sea and land on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,400 people with at least 150 hostages taken into Gaza. In response, Israel attacked Gaza. Till now, more than 25,105 people being killed in strikes carried out by Israel. As per the United Nations (U.N.), more than 70% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population were forced to leave their homes.
