Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his vow Sunday that there is “no substitute for victory,” telling his Cabinet that Israel would continue its war against Hamas in Gaza until the militants are defeated and 120 Hamas-held hostages, both dead and alive, are returned.
He said the war, nearly 10 months long, would continue “until we achieve all our goals,” including that Hamas “no longer poses a threat on Israel.”
Netanyahu contended, “Everyone knows the simple truth: Hamas is the only obstacle to freeing our hostages,” in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians jailed by Israel.
But there appeared to be no change in the stalemated cease-fire talks, with Israel calling for a six-week halt in the fighting and exchange of hostages and prisoners, while Hamas demanded a permanent stop to the fighting and an Israeli withdrawal of its troops.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Saturday at a Beirut news conference, "There has been no real progress at the end of aggression negotiations, and what is quoted by the American administration is to put pressure on the (Hamas) movement, to accept the Israel (cease-fire) proposal without modification.”
“Once again,” Hamdan said, “Hamas is ready to deal positively with any proposal that secures a permanent cease-fire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a serious swap deal."
On Saturday, a senior Biden administration official said the U.S. presented new language to intermediaries Egypt and Qatar to try to jump-start the stalled Israel-Hamas negotiations.
Watch related report by Arash Arabasadi:
On the battlefield, Israeli forces advanced farther into the Shejaiya neighborhood of northern Gaza, months after Israel had declared Hamas's command structure dismantled in the northern area and pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south near the Egyptian border. Residents said at least six Palestinians were killed and several homes destroyed, residents said.
The armed wing of Hamas said its fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs against Israeli forces operating there.
Netanyahu said, "Dozens of terrorists are being eliminated every day. This is a difficult fight that is being waged above ground, sometimes in hand-to-hand combat, and below ground as well."
On Saturday, the military announced the death of two Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza.
Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza erupted when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has so far killed nearly 38,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and left the heavily built-up coastal enclave in ruins.
Some material in this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
