 Israel's tanks in Gaza (Photo: Reuters) |
Netanyahu said in a statement that Israel's conditions for ending the conflict have not changed: the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
The statement also said that "the notion that Israel will agree to a permanent cease-fire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter."
In related news, in a joint statement, Gaza cease-fire mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the US called on both Israel and Hamas to finalize an agreement embodying the principles just outlined by the US for a lasting cease-fire.
“As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, Qatar, the United States, and Egypt jointly call on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Biden,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement on Saturday, citing Biden’s Friday night address on the proposed deal.
“These principles brought the demands of all parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests and will bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families,” added the statement.
They further emphasized that “this deal offers a roadmap for a permanent cease-fire and ending the crisis.”
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that Israel presented the Palestinian resistance group Hamas with a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in the besieged Gaza Strip and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave.
Biden appealed to Hamas to accept the deal and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resist pressure from members of his governing coalition opposed to the plan.
Netanyahu's office on Friday reiterated his intention to continue the country's offensive in the Gaza Strip until all of Tel Aviv's goals are achieved.