Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday denounced Hamas’s reiteration of its claim of readiness for a comprehensive deal involving the release of hostages in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners.
The Prime Minister's Office said in response that Hamas's statement was another attempt to "spin" the situation and reasserted that the war wouldn't end without the release of all hostages, the disarmament of the terror group, the establishment of a civilian-led government in the Palestinian enclave, and Israeli security control in Gaza.
“Hamas continues to deceive and issue empty words, but it will soon understand that it must choose between two options,” Katz said.
“Accepting Israel’s conditions to end the war, first and foremost, the release of all hostages and disarmament, or Gaza City will become like Rafah and Beit Hanun. The IDF is fully prepared,” he added.
This follows the terror group reiterating its claims that it is ready for a comprehensive Gaza deal through which all Israeli hostages are released in exchange for the release of an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners, the terror group announced on Wednesday evening.
The group’s remarks come shortly after US President Donald Trump called on Hamas to release all 20 living hostages.
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid said, "The Israeli government does not have to accept Hamas's conditions, it does have to return to negotiations immediately and try to close a deal. It is impossible not to even try to bring our hostages home."
Informed sources told The Jerusalem Post that "behind the scenes, the US is making efforts to try and resume the hostage deal talks.
The source added, "Hamas's statement tonight can be seen as a response to Prime Minister Netanyahu's demand for a comprehensive deal, indicating the opening positions of both sides."
The future of the Gaza Strip
Palestinian-American Bishara Bahbah, who is involved in the hostage deal negotiations, said in an interview with Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya channel: "I reached out to Hamas with a proposal for the release of all hostages and shared it with them prior to President Trump's most recent tweet."
"Hamas questioned the proposal's credibility. Israelis believe that Netanyahu will not agree to any deal without significant US pressure," Bahbah added.
This is a developing story.