Netanyahu rejects calls to deceive Hamas, calling it 'nonsense'
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Getty Images)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly criticized experts who advise imitating a ceasefire with the Hamas group in exchange for the release of hostages, according to a video message from the head of the Israeli government.
In his address, Netanyahu emphasized that the war against Hamas cannot be concluded without removing the Palestinian group from power. He called the suggestion that Israel might deceive Hamas by agreeing to halt the conflict for the release of hostages, only to later resume hostilities, nonsense.
The Prime Minister noted that Palestinian militants are demanding Israel's complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including from the Philadelphia Corridor on the border between Egypt and the enclave, as well as from the buffer zone created by Israel.
The Prime Minister stated that Hamas is demanding mandatory international guarantees to ensure that Israel does not return to war after the release of hostages.
"We will not end the ‘war of revival’ before we destroy Hamas in Gaza, return all our hostages and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said.
It is impossible to deceive murderers
The Israeli Prime Minister mocked experts who suggest tricking Hamas by first agreeing to a ceasefire to secure the release of hostages and then resuming military operations.
“Those among us who are saying capitulate to the dictates of Hamas are saying ‘capitulate now, leave Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor, deceive Hamas, promise you won’t go back to war, and when we have got all the hostages back, go back to war” he added.
Netanyahu called the Palestinian militants a group of vile murderers, but said he does not consider them stupid.
“They are demanding binding international guarantees which do not enable this illusion of deception which all these experts are suggesting. These people have no idea how the international system works. No one, not the US, not China, not Russia, not others in the UN Security Council, will cooperate with this scam, something which will make returning to war impossible. We won’t have any legitimacy to do this. There is no ‘fake obligation’. If we obligate not to fight, we can’t go back to fighting in Gaza,” said the Prime Minister.
Netanyahu stressed, “There is no ‘fake obligation.’”
He said that if they committed not to fight, they would not be able to return to military operations in Gaza. He believed that they could bring their hostages home without capitulating to Hamas’ dictates, and added that they would increase pressure on Hamas until they achieved all the objectives of the war.
Israel's war with Hamas
In early October 2023, militants from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. During the initial days of the assault, the terrorists killed 1,200 civilians and soldiers, and kidnapped around 250 Israeli and foreign nationals.
In response to the invasion, the Israeli military launched a ground operation against Hamas militants in Gaza — an operation that continues to this day.
In January this year, both sides agreed to a ceasefire and began a hostage exchange process. Following several rounds of exchanges, the Israeli military has so far managed to bring back 196 hostages — 147 of them alive. Hamas still holds 24 living hostages in Gaza, along with the bodies of 35 deceased hostages.
In mid-March, Hamas began stalling the hostage exchange process, prompting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to resume combat operations against the militants in the Gaza Strip.
