Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said on Sunday that Israel will not implement any other point of the Gaza ceasefire plan released by President Trump until Hamas releases all remaining Israeli captives in Gaza.
“Until the first clause — the release of all the hostages, living and dead — until the last of the hostages, all of them, is transferred to Israeli territory, we will not move on to any other clause,” Netanyahu told members of the Gvura Forum, according to The Times of Israel.
The Israeli leader said that if Hamas didn’t release the hostages “by the end of the time set by President Trump,” Israel would go back on the offensive in Gaza “with the full backing of all the countries involved.” Israel has continued to bomb Gaza since Hamas’s response to Trump’s proposal and the US president’s call for Israel to halt its attacks.
It’s unclear what deadline Netanyahu was referring to that he said was set by Trump. Under the outline released by the White House, Hamas would have to release all remaining Israeli captives within “72 hours of Israel publicly accepting” the agreement, but the details of the potential deal still need to be worked out. The deal also calls for a complete ceasefire and halt to Israeli military operations to facilitate the captive release.
Netanyahu also said that Trump was “increasing” the pressure on Hamas. “Trump will not hesitate to wait longer than he has allotted. This time, he is determined,” he said.
The Israeli leader vowed there would be no Hamas or Palestinian Authority officials involved in a future Gaza government, even though the deal released by the White House envisions a “reformed” PA eventually taking control. “No representative of Hamas or any representative of the PA will be involved in controlling the Strip,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli and Hamas negotiators are set to hold indirect talks in Cairo starting on Monday aimed at reaching a final deal. Throughout Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, Netanyahu has repeatedly worked to sabotage negotiations and thwarted at least seven potential deals, according to Israeli media.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, President Trump said that there had been “positive discussions” regarding the ceasefire talks and warned there would be “massive bloodshed” if a deal wasn’t reached.
“There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East. These talks have been very successful, and proceeding rapidly,” the president wrote.
“The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details. I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST. I will continue to monitor this Centuries old ‘conflict.’ TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!,” Trump added.
