An Hamas official has said that the deal related to the release of remaining hostages has essentially failed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected their conditions.
He said that the rejection indicated there was “no chance” of returns of hostages, reported The Guardian.
Netanyahu had previously denied complying with the condition of Hamas which sought to leave Hamas empowered and withdraw Israel from the territory.
“In exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all the murderers and rapists,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “And leaving Hamas intact.”
“I reject outright the terms of surrender before Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
However, a senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the Israeli leader’s refusal to end the military offensive in Gaza “means there is no chance for the return of the (Israeli) captives.”
On the other hand, families of Israeli hostages demonstrated protest outside their Prime Minister’s house in Jerusalem. Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the protesters will continue their protest until the premier agrees to a deal to return the hostages.
An advocacy group in Israel demanded that Netanyahu make it clear that “We will not leave civilians, soldiers, and others kidnapped in the October clashes.”
“If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public,” quoted The Guardian.
Netanyahu also took a stronger line on the issue of Palestinian statehood than before.
“I will not compromise on full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River,” he said.
Under a deal brokered in late November by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, more than 100 of the estimated 240 hostages taken captive in Gaza during an attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 were freed in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he spoke with Netanyahu about possible solutions for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting one path could involve a non-militarized government.
Netanyahu appeared on Saturday to push back against Biden’s remarks about Palestinian statehood after the war against Hamas in Gaza ended as the two men do not see eye-to-eye on Palestinians having a state, a solution Biden has advocated to achieve long-term peace.
In the statement on Sunday, Netanyahu repeated that he would insist upon “full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan.”
However, the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel claimed 25,000 lives so far, said the Gaza’s health ministry on Sunday.
According to the authorities, thousands more bodies were uncounted and remained under rubble across Gaza.
At the opening of the G77+China secretary general of the United Nations termed the damage in Gaza during Israel’s military operations as “unprecedented”.
