Edited by Deepali Verma
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the proposal by Hamas to bring an end to the war and release captives in exchange for withdrawing Israeli forces, releasing prisoners and accepting the armed group’s governance of Gaza.
Netanyahu, facing growing domestic pressure to get the captives home, said that the acceptance of Hamas’s conditions translates to leaving the armed group “intact” and that Israel’s soldiers had “fallen in vain”.
“I reject outrightly the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas,” said Netanyahu.
“If we go ahead with this, we won’t be able to ensure the safety of our citizens. It will be impossible for us to bring the evacuees home safely and another October 7 will only be a matter of time,” the Israeli leader added.
Previously, Netanyahu has repeated his opposition of an independent Palestinian state saying that he will not be compromising on “full Israeli security control over the entire area in the west of Jordan”.
Netanyahu, facing pressure from multiple fronts, as captives’ families call for a deal to ensure the return of their loved ones, members of his far-right ruling coalition are further adding pressure for an escalation of the war, and the increasing differences cloud relations with the administration of United States President Joe Biden.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum have started to protest outside the Israeli leader’s private home in Jerusalem, urging him not to leave until he signs a deal on the captives’ release.
“If the prime minister is deciding upon the sacrifice of the hostages, he should at least show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public,” as per the statement from the group.
“They feel like they have been neglected and forgotten,” Salhut from Al Jazeera said. “We have dissent from within the war cabinet – with only a member stating that perhaps a total defeat of Hamas is an unrealistic goal for the government to be aiming for. There should be elections held to allow the public to show their confidence in the government.”
Hamas has freed close to 100 captives in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners as a result of the brief truce that was brokered in late November by Egypt, Qatar and the US.
Presently, Hamas holds 136 people in captivity, as per the Israeli officials.
More than 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel has publicly declared its intention to eliminate Hamas in response to the group’s October 7 attacks.
Hamas has recently released a report where it described the attack on southern Israel as “a necessary step and a normal response” while it admits to “faults” in its execution”.
