In a statement, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel described the war aims as “the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel”
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has declared that there will be no lasting ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities are obliterated and all hostages are set free.
This statement follows US President Joe Biden’s disclosure that Israel proposed a three-step plan to Hamas, aiming for a permanent ceasefire. In response, a high-ranking Hamas politician told the BBC, “it will go for this deal” if Israel follows through.
These developments occur as Rafah continues to suffer from ongoing strikes, with additional reports of attacks in the city on Egypt’s border with Gaza. However, there is no assurance that Biden’s pressure on both parties to accept the plan will lead to a sustainable agreement.
The impact of the strikes in Gaza has been horrifyingly stark ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
In a Saturday statement, Netanyahu’s office reiterated that Israel’s “conditions for ending the war have not changed,” outlining them as “the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel”. The statement further emphasized that Israel would “continue to insist these conditions are met” before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire, stressing that no agreement could be reached without fulfilling these conditions.
Biden described the plan as a comprehensive proposal that would ultimately result in a permanent ceasefire. The first phase would include a full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas and the exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners. While the first phase would reportedly last around six weeks, if it were to take longer the ceasefire would be extended.
Biden outlined what he said was a three-step proposal at the White House on Friday ( Image: Getty Images)
Next would be a “permanent end to hostilities”. This phase would also include the release of remaining live hostages, including soldiers. The final phase would see the remains of any deceased Israeli hostages returned, as well as a “major reconstruction plan” with US and international assistance to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals, Biden said. A total end to the conflict has been a key Hamas demand to engage in talks.
Following Netanyahu’s restating of his aims for the war, a spokesman for Hamas said it would back the plan if Israel did. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau based in Qatar, told the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme that the organisation welcomed the plan, but the next step relied on Israel.
Responding to Netanyahu’s statement, a representative stated that while Israel’s targets might not have changed, they also weren’t met. He said, “If he tries to continue, he will not find anything except the readiness of the Palestinians – all Palestinians – to resist the occupation.”
