The Israeli prime minister reiterated that he would not accept any agreement calling for an end to the eight-month war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that he is open to a “partial” agreement that would facilitate the return of some, if not all, captives still held in Gaza.
He reiterated, however, that he would not accept any deal stipulating an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, despite previous U.S. claims that an Israeli proposal would be a path to ending the offensive.
“The goal is to return the kidnapped people and uproot the Hamas regime in Gaza,” he said in an interview with Israeli media Channel 14 on Sunday.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have consistently rallied against Netanyahu and his government, demanding early elections and a deal for the return of captives.
Last month, US President Joe Biden announced a ceasefire proposal, which would include a six-week pause in fighting as well as the release of some Israeli captives in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. These exchanges would then make it possible to negotiate a permanent ceasefire.
While U.S. officials have insisted that Israel authored the proposal, various Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, have pledged to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated and have refused to endorse it. fully publicly.
Netanyahu also told Channel 14 that Israel’s “intense” military offensive in the southern Gaza town of Rafah was almost over.
“The intense phase of fighting against Hamas is about to end,” he said. “This does not mean that the war is about to end, but the war in its intense phase is about to end in Rafah. »
“Civil administration”
Netanyahu, in his first interview with an Israeli media outlet since the start of the Gaza war, once again rejected the idea that the Palestinian Authority, based in the occupied West Bank, would rule Gaza in place of Hamas.
“We also want to create a civil administration, if possible with local Palestinians and perhaps with external support from regional countries, to manage humanitarian supplies and, later, civil affairs in the Gaza Strip,” did he declare.
“Ultimately, two things need to happen: We need continued demilitarization by (the Israeli military) and the establishment of a civilian administration.”
The Gaza Strip has been gripped by more than eight months of war since a Hamas-led attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,139 people, dozens of whom remain held captive in Gaza.
The Israeli military offensive on Gaza has since killed at least 37,598 people, according to the Palestinian territory’s Health Ministry.
Troops head towards Lebanon
Netanyahu said troops would soon be deployed to the northern border with Lebanon, but for “defensive purposes.”
“Once the intense phase is over, we will have the possibility of moving part of the forces towards the north. And we will. Primarily for defensive purposes. And second, bring our (evacuated) residents home,” Netanyahu told Channel 14.
“If we can, we will do it diplomatically. Otherwise, we will proceed differently. But we will bring (residents) home,” he said.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced from northern Israel and southern Lebanon, which have seen near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters since the start of the Gaza war.