Israeli PM Netanyahu Says Ending the Current War in Gaza Will Keep Hamas in Power

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Source: Noam Moscowitz/Knesset Spokesperson)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated his rejection of Hamas' demands to end the war in exchange for the release of hostages, saying it would keep the Palestinian militant group in power and pose a threat to Israel.

PM Netanyahu said Israel was willing to stop fighting in Gaza to guarantee the release of hostages still being held by Hamas, believed to number more than 130 people.

"However, even though Israel has shown its willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme position, first of all they demand to move all our troops from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and let Hamas remain in power," said PM Netanyahu, as reported by Reuters, May 6.

"Israel cannot accept that," he said.

"Hamas will be able to fulfill its promises to carry out massacres, rapes, and kidnappings again and again," said PM Netanyahu.

Separately in Cairo, Hamas leaders held a second day of ceasefire talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, but no real progress was reported as the group maintained its demand that any agreement must end the war in Gaza, Palestinian officials said.

It is known that the war began after a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7 which killed 1,200 people and 252 hostages, according to an Israeli tally.

In response, Israel surrounded and bombarded the Gaza Strip which has so far killed more than 34,600 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The bombing has destroyed much of the coastal area and caused a humanitarian crisis.