Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will only accept a partial cease-fire deal that would not end the 8-month-long war in Gaza, casting doubt on the viability of a U.S.-backed truce proposal.
Netanyahu said he was ready to make a partial deal to bring back some of the 120 hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but “we are committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas.”
His comments late Sunday come at a sensitive time as Israel and Hamas appear to be moving further apart over how the cease-fire deal plays out, and as Israeli leaders are increasingly signalling that a war with the Lebanese group Hezbollah could be next.
The three-phased plan for a truce in Gaza would bring about the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Hamas insists it will not release the remaining hostages unless there’s a permanent cease-fire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Israel launched the war after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which fighters stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.
Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed more than 37,600 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
International criticism is growing over Israel’s campaign as Palestinians face widespread hunger. The war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and basic goods to Gaza, which is now totally dependent on aid. The top United Nations court has concluded there is a “plausible risk of genocide ” in Gaza — a charge Israel strongly denies.