Netanyahu Rejects Hamas Truce: “Unacceptable”

Recent attempts at a truce in the Gaza Strip have proved fruitless, and the talks in Paris, involving the USA, Qatar, and Egypt, stalled.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the truce, with Hamas’ terms deemed “unacceptable.” The Israeli leader, after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, reiterated that he would not withdraw the army from the Strip and that “Hamas will not survive in Gaza.” Netanyahu believes victory is near and it lies, as he has repeatedly said, in the “total extermination of Hamas.”

Thus, events seem to be taking a negative turn, given that the Israeli army has been ordered to concentrate on Rafah. It is located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have taken refuge. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the attack on Rafah would “decisively intensify an existing humanitarian nightmare with endless consequences for the region.”

Netanyahu said: “Only total victory guarantees Israel’s security. A new day will come when Hamas is gone. There will be demilitarization of the sector, and civilian control will certainly not be handed over to the instigators.” The statement appears to rule out the possibility that Palestinian National Authority of Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) could govern Gaza in the future. Hamas saw the words as confirmation that Israel’s goal was “genocide.”

That’s why Anthony Blinken recognized that negotiations had reached an impasse. He reiterated that the United States is committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state. More contacts with Egypt and Qatar as mediators are already expected in the coming hours. Sources in the Jewish state, cited by the Italian news agency ANSA, explain that the mediators were asked to pressure Hamas to submit a new proposal. The option, which Israel deemed “unacceptable,” called for a 135-day ceasefire and the release of more than 140 Israelis and 1500 Palestinians (including 500 serving life sentences). In addition, Hamas demanded the release of all prisoners under the age of 19 and over 50 and the banning of Jews from accessing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.