Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire and vows to achieve total victory in Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on his war objective of “complete and decisive victory” in Gaza, as he rejected Hamas’s latest terms for a ceasefire, put forward by Qatari negotiators.

Speaking during a press conference in Jerusalem this evening, the Israeli Prime Minister vowed to completely eliminate Hamas, insisting “there is no other solution..otherwise it is just a matter of time until the next massacre.” 

Netanyahu said that he expected the IDF to achieve all of its war aims within “a matter of months”. 

The PM was speaking after Hamas proposed a ceasefire lasting four-and-a-half months during which all Israeli hostages would be released from Gaza, some 1,500 Palestinian prisoners would be freed from Israeli jail, the reconstruction of Gaza would begin and Israel would withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip. This was a counter-offer to US-backed terms put forward by Israel last week, the details of which were not made public. 

Hamas’s counter-offer proposed three 45-day truce periods. In phase one, all Israeli female hostages, males under 19, the elderly and sick would be exchanged for Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails. In the next stage, male Israeli hostages would be exchanged for further Palestinian prisoners, including those given life sentences. In the third phase, bodies and remains would be exchanged and, by the end of the 135-day pause in fighting, negotiations to end the war would have concluded.

But Netanyahu said this evening that Israel has not “committed to anything” in Hamas’s ceasefire counterproposal.

The rejection comes as no surprise. The proposal would effectively leave Hamas in power in Gaza – a scenario that Israeli leaders have adamantly rejected. Netanyahu is also under pressure from far-right members of his coalition who are steadfastly opposed to any deal that would see the release of any Palestinian prisoners who have committed grave crimes against Israeli civilians. 

Yet he will face domestic criticism from left and centrist parties as well as families of those held captive who say time is running out to save their loved ones, with a fifth of hostages who remain in Gaza now estimated to be dead. 

Even Gadi Eisenkot, a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet – whose 25-year-old son and 19-year-old nephew both died fighting in Gaza back in December – has warned that total victory over Hamas in Gaza is unrealistic, adding that the only way to save hostages is through a deal, even if it comes at a price.

War in Gaza is not just dividing Israeli leaders. Divisions appear to be forming within the Hamas leadership too. 

According to reports, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, is exhausted from the fighting and more desperate to reach a temporary truce deal. But it is Ismail Haniyeh, the Doha-based chair of Hamas’s political bureau, who is demanding further concessions from Israel and holding out for a complete withdrawal of IDF troops.

All the while, Palestinian civilians continue to pay a devastating price. Over 27,700 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel’s offensive, according to Gaza’s health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. An estimated 85 per cent of the population has been displaced, over half of the territory’s infrastructure has been razed and the UN warns of an imminent famine affecting 2 million people.

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