JERUSALEM, Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a shot Sunday at what he believes are inaccurate media reports and blamed Hamas for holding up good-faith negotiations for the hostages held in Gaza by demanding that Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire rather than a truce.
After the weekly cabinet meeting, the prime minister said his government has been working in “every possible way” to gain the hostages’ release and end the suffering for them and their families.
He charged, “But while Israel has shown this willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, primarily the demand to withdraw all our forces from the Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas intact.”
He added, “The State of Israel cannot accept this. We are not ready to accept a situation in which the Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threatening the citizens of Israel in the surrounding settlements, in the cities of the south, in all parts of the country.”
Should such a scenario occur, Netanyahu warned, “The next October 7th would be just a matter of time.”
He made it clear that Israel still is willing to negotiate a temporary truce, but to agree to a permanent ceasefire would directly negate one of the government’s primary goals since the massacre and kidnappings occurred seven months ago: the eradication of Hamas as a fighting force and the prevention of the terror entity from threatening the security of Israelis ever again.
Seven Israelis were wounded Sunday in a Hamas rocket barrage near the Kerem Shalom Crossing, where much of the humanitarian aid is funneled into Gaza. Israel immediately closed the crossing.
Two people were also wounded in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona after a rocket volley from Lebanon
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Israel has given Hamas a week to decide on whether it will accept an offer from Israel for a temporary ceasefire and prisoner exchange to be combined with a release of some hostages.
Hamas’ leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar has not answered, adding to the uncertainty. Arab sources speculate that Sinwar does not want Hamas to get the blame for a breakdown in the negotiations.
During his Sunday remarks, Netanyahu also addressed the strong U.S. push for a negotiated defense pact deal between Washington and Saudi Arabia. Part of the deal, which would include normalization of Saudi relations with Israel, which the Saudis have insisted must involve an end to the war in Gaza and an Israeli commitment to a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu declared, “This weakness will only bring the next war closer and it will push the next peace agreement further away. Because alliances are not made with the weak and defeated, alliances are made with the strong and victorious.”
“Therefore,” he continued, “Israel will not agree to Hamas’s demands, which mean surrender, and will continue the fighting until all its goals are achieved.”
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news.***
Israel’s cabinet also unanimously voted over the weekend to shut down the Israeli office of Al Jazeera, and cable broadcasts in English and Arabic were halted.
The closure took place after the vote. Three members of the Benny Gantz-led National Unity Party were not there for the vote. They had expressed concern that the timing might hurt the hostage negotiations. The cabinet will assess the Al Jazeera decision every 45 days.