Israeli media says prime minister Netanyahu rejected a July deal to swap captives to satisfy two far-right ministers and prevent their withdrawal from his cabinet.
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An unnamed Israeli source quoted by the regime’s public broadcasting KAN reportedly said that Netanyahu refused to accept the deal to satisfy National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who had threatened to leave the government if the deal was signed.
According to the report on Sunday, cited by the Anadolu news agency, Hamas was willing to release several Israeli hostages without demanding a full ceasefire in return.
The report suggested that the Palestinian resistance’s willingness at the time was an attempt to link the first and second phases of a US ceasefire proposal which included humanitarian aid.
The report did not provide further details, however, although Hamas has repeatedly said that it would only release the Israeli captives if the deal resulted in a complete cessation of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
At the time, the US proposal included three phases: the first involved an immediate ceasefire; the release of women, the elderly and the wounded Israeli captives; and a prisoner exchange as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza.
It also included increasing humanitarian aid, rebuilding basic services and facilitating the return of civilians to their homes across Gaza.
The second phase required the release of all remaining hostages and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, aiming to end the crisis definitively.
The third phase involved the reconstruction of Gaza over several years and the return of Israeli soldiers’ remains.
KAN said that Netanyahu rejected the proposal, particularly opposing the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, with areas like the Philadelphi Corridor and Netzarim axis becoming obstacles to the ceasefire process.
An unnamed Israeli source quoted by the broadcaster said that Netanyahu’s refusal to accept the deal was to satisfy Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, who had threatened to leave the government if the deal was signed.
Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt and Qatar have so far failed to achieve a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Sunday that the Palestinian Resistance Movement’s utmost priority is “halting and ending the aggression” on Gaza.
In a statement on Sunday, Abu Zuhri reiterated its position of not settling for “understandings that do not alleviate the suffering of our people, guarantee their return to their homes, and ensure full reconstruction of all life facilities.”
He also highlighted the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza, slamming the West and particularly the United States for continuing to support Israel in its genocidal war in the Strip.
“This brutal campaign would not have persisted without Western—particularly American—support in the form of financial and military aid, as well as political and media backing,” the Hamas leader said, adding that “such support justifies and covers up the occupation’s crimes and obstructs any role by the UN Security Council to stop this genocide”.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,211 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 104,567 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
