Netanyahu says no permanent Gaza ceasefire until Hamas destroyed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 1 there would be no “permanent ceasefire” in Gaza until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities were destroyed.

According to the Times of Israel, his comments, in a rare statement published on the Sabbath and only in English, came after United States President Joe Biden announced that Israel had proposed a three-phase deal for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for Hamas releasing hostages.

“Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: The destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.

“Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place. The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter,” he added.

Netanyahu’s comments, the second statement issued by his office since Biden’s speech, appeared aimed at framing the type of truce Israel would initially agree to, not ruling one out.

Speaking in the White House on Friday, Biden had spoken of reaching a complete ceasefire ahead of the first phase of the deal and then negotiating a “permanent end to hostilities” in the second phase. Hamas has been demanding an end to the war before it would resume talks.

He described the proposal as originating with Israel and laid out the details of a three-phase deal, with particular emphasis on the first phase, a six-week truce that could be extended if talks took longer. The deal, Biden revealed, had been submitted to Hamas on Thursday via Qatar, a mediator in negotiations to end the nearly eight-month war, which have faltered since April.

Immediately after the speech, Netanyahu — whom Biden avoided naming — released an initial statement saying that “The Israeli government is united in the desire to return our hostages as soon as possible and is working to achieve this goal.”

“Therefore, the prime minister authorized the negotiating team to present an outline for achieving this goal, while insisting that the war will not end until all of its goals are achieved, including the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities,” read the statement, adding that, “The exact outline proposed by Israel, including the conditional transition from stage to stage, allows Israel to maintain these principles.”