Netanyahu reportedly said he ordered officials to prepare a plan aimed at replacing Hamas in the distribution of humanitarian aid by Nov. 21.
By JNS
Hamas continues to frustrate ongoing hostages-for-ceasefire negotiations in the hopes of ending the war and returning to power in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday.
“The only thing that Hamas wants is a deal that ends the war and for the IDF to leave the Strip in order to return to power,” the premier said, according to Walla. “I am not ready to allow that under any circumstance.”
Netanyahu told lawmakers that the Palestinian terrorist group “sees the pressure” put on his government in both the domestic and international spheres, and believes it can thwart the talks to secure better conditions.
The prime minister said during the closed-door meeting that he believes some 50 out of the 101 remaining hostages held by Hamas remain alive.
He told committee members that while there is currently no concrete proposal on the table, various “ideas have come up” in recent days.
The Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed outlet cited a Hamas source as saying earlier this week that the Islamist organization’s leadership has cut all contact with those actually holding the hostages, due to “strict security measures to protect the important negotiation card.”
The source added that Hamas has refused to provide information on the whereabouts and status of the hostages, in particular those with U.S. citizenship, as it has not been offered “compensation” by mediators.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu noted on Monday that while the Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza has destroyed most of Hamas’s “military” infrastructure, its ruling capabilities remain largely intact.
Netanyahu reportedly said he ordered officials to prepare a plan aimed at replacing Hamas in the distribution of humanitarian aid by Nov. 21.
Also on Monday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism Party, told reporters that the IDF should occupy the entire northern part of the Strip until the hostages are released.
Jerusalem needs to “inform Hamas in clear terms that if the hostages do not return, we exercise our sovereignty and stay there forever,” he said, adding, “Then, Hamas will have the motivation to keep them alive.”
Roughly 1,200 Israeli Jews were murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, thousands more were wounded and 251 others were taken into the Gaza Strip.
On-and-off indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have dragged on for months, with the U.S., Egypt and Qatar acting as intermediaries.
The return of the hostages still held by Hamas terrorists after 409 days remains the “most important value goal” in the ongoing war, Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated in a statement on Sunday.