Netanyahu pessimistic regarding possibility of agreement Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed his pessimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement to stop the fighting in Gaza and release the captives, accusing Hamas of obstructing efforts instead of making efforts for a settlement. In a press conference on Thursday, at the military headquarters in Tel-Aviv, Netanyahu said, “We face a brick wall of delusional, unrealistic Hamas demands,” adding that Hamas “knows its demands are delusional and is not even trying to move close to an area of agreement. That’s the situation.”

He stressed, “We are all hopeful, but I’m giving you the current assessment … We continue to act, continue to hope, but I can’t make a promise at this moment that a deal will be done”, noting that such a promise would “have no cover”.

Netanyahu pledged that Israel would return all hostages held in Gaza, “with or without a framework”, and said that he was demanding to see the names of all captives to be released before he agreed to a hostage deal.

He announced that Israeli military is preparing to operate against the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah and the central Gaza Strip.

“We will do this by evacuating civilians from combat zones,” he said, adding, “we will do this by taking care of their humanitarian needs, and we will do this by following international law.”

In response to a question from a journalist about media reports that US President Joe Biden described him as a fool, Netanyahu said that the White House denied these statements, and that he will lead the war until victory, no matter the pressures.

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