Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (Jan 30) rejected reports of releasing “thousands” of Palestinian prisoners as part of any deal to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip, further stating that he will not accept any ceasefire deal.
In an address at Eli settlement in the occupied West Bank, he said, “I would like to make it clear… We will not withdraw the IDF (army) from the Gaza Strip and we will not release thousands of terrorists. None of this will happen.”
“I hear sayings about all kinds of (hostages) deals so I want to clarify – we will not end this war short of achieving all of its objectives. That means eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” he added.
Netanyahu claimed that Israel would not settle for anything less than “absolute victory”. The Israeli prime minister said that he and the fighters are committed to winning the battle.
This comes amid reports that mediator Qatar saying that a framework to halt the Gaza fighting and for hostage releases is to be relayed to Hamas.
On the other hand, Hamas also said on Tuesday that it had received a new proposal for the ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza.
The news agency Reuters mentioned in its report that Hamas said that the deal was presented by mediators after talks with Israel and the militant group was studying the terms.
According to a senior Hamas official, the proposal included a three-stage truce. First, the group would release the remaining civilians among the prisoners it abducted on October 7, then the bodies of hostages that were killed.
Meanwhile, the United States condemned Monday’s “incendiary” comments by far-right Israeli ministers during a rally calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
White House spokesman John Kirby said of the comments, “Irresponsible, reckless, incendiary I go so far as to say.” Kirby added that it involved only “a couple” of ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet.
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Israel floods Hamas attack tunnels
Meanwhile, Israel’s army said on Tuesday that it was flooding Hamas’s attack tunnels amid intense fighting in Gaza. The Israeli military said it had adopted the tactic of channelling water into Hamas’s vast underground network of tunnels that it has dubbed “the Gaza metro”.
“It is part of a range of tools deployed by the IDF (Israeli army) to neutralise the threat of Hamas’s subterranean network of tunnels,” it said, confirming media reports.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)
