JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that there would be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas’s military and governance capabilities were destroyed.
His comments in a statement published online came after US President Joe Biden said Israel had proposed a three-phase deal for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages by Hamas.
“Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas’s military and administrative capabilities, the release of all hostages and the guarantee that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.
“Israel will continue to insist that these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is imposed. The idea that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are met is a non-starter,” he added.
(Reporting by Dan Williams; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Frances Kerry)
