Netanyahu condemns Hamas as terror group rejects ceasefire proposal

The ceasefire and hostage negations between Israel and Hamas seemed to be breaking down on Tuesday as the terror group rejected a deal mediated by Qatar and Egypt. 

Hamas issued a statement, saying Israel didn’t respond to “any of the basic demands of our people and our resistance (Hamas): a comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, and a real exchange of prisoners.”

The deal, which Israel reportedly agreed on, would have seen a six-week truce, along with increased aid to Gaza and the release of 40 hostages and some 800 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel has consistently rejected Hamas’ demands for a permanent ceasefire and withdrawing the IDF from Gaza as it would allow the terror group to go back to ruling Gaza.

Israeli media reported that part of the delegation to Qatar returned to Israel following Hamas’ rejection of the proposal, but that some members of the Israeli negotiations team remained in the Gulf State.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a strongly worded condemnation of Hamas, saying the terror group’s stance “clearly demonstrates its utter disinterest in a negotiated deal and attests to the damage done by the UN Security Council’s resolution.”

“Hamas has once again rejected an American compromise proposal and has repeated its extreme demands: An immediate halt to the war, the complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and leaving in place its administration so that it can repeat, time and again, the massacre of October 7, as it has promised to do,” he added.

Netanyahu said Israel won’t address Hamas’s “delusional demands” but that it will rather pursue and achieve its just war objectives: “Destroying Hamas’s military and governmental capacities, release of all the hostages, and ensuring Gaza will not pose a threat to the people of Israel in the future.”