Netanyahu Calls Hamas Claims Unacceptable To Israel

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that his government is ready to reach a ceasefire and a deal to release hostages with Hamas he has accused of making unacceptable demands.

Hamas continues to make extreme demands. Their main demand is that we withdraw all of our troops from the Gaza Strip, end the war and leave Hamas alone. The Israeli state cannot accept this requirement," Netanyahu said via video message.

During the last round of indirect negotiations with Hamas, he said, the Israeli government showed its readiness to make concessions described as a generous act by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Despite this, the Israeli prime minister stressed that his government would never give up on his military goals in Gaza. He said Israel's withdrawal from Gaza meant Israel's surrender and a major victory for Hamas and Iran.

He stressed that Israel was and was still ready to make a deal on the pause of fighting to ensure the release of the kidnapped Israelis. Israel made these efforts, he continued, in order to free 124 hostages and then return to war.

"We've spent the last few weeks tackling it. Time to reach an agreement that will bring back the kidnapped people," he said as reported by Antara.

Hamas was previously considering a new proposal for a hostage-taking deal filed by Egypt requiring the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The proposal, compiled with Israeli help, consists of 2 stages. The first phase of the agreement includes the release of 20-33 hostages over several weeks in exchange for a pause in fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

The duration of the ceasefire could be extended by relying on the number of hostages released. Then, as part of the second phase of the deal, Hamas was asked to swap the remaining hostages, including the Israeli army and its bodies with more Palestinian prisoners.