An official from the Palestinian militant group Hamas said Israeli people, taken as hostages following the militant group’s October 7 attacks, have “no chance” of returning to Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday (Jan 21) outright rejected the conditions proposed by the group.
What were Hamas’ conditions?
Netanyahu outright rejected the conditions put forth by the Palestinian militant group to end the war, which he said included leaving Hamas in power and Israel’s complete withdrawal from the territory.
WATCH | Israel-Hamas war: Netanyahu against two-state solution, rejects Hamas’ call to end war
“In exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all the murderers and rapists and leaving Hamas intact,” said the Israeli PM in a statement.
“I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas,” he added.
A senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the Israeli leader’s refusal to end the military offensive in Gaza “means there is no chance for the return of the (Israeli) captives.”
Netanyahu under pressure
There has been mounting pressure on the Israeli PM to secure the release of the 136 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity. According to Israeli officials, some 240 people were taken by the Palestinian militant group following the October 7 attacks on Israel.
More than 100 hostages were released under a deal brokered in late November by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
On Sunday evening, family members of the hostages began a protest outside Netanyahu’s private home in Jerusalem while others camped outside the Israeli PM’s house in Caesarea on Saturday (Jan 20) and planned to stay there until he met them.
Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the protesters would remain until “the prime minister agrees to a deal to return the hostages”.
They have also demanded that Netanyahu “clearly state that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers, and others kidnapped in the October debacle.”
“We must advance the deal now,” said the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, adding that “If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public.”
Netanyahu rejects calls for Palestinian state
In his statement on Sunday, the Israeli PM reiterated his strong line on the issue of Palestinian statehood and said, “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River.”
This was a day after Netanyahu pushed back against the United States President Joe Biden’s remarks where he spoke of Palestinian statehood once the war against Hamas in Gaza ends. The Israeli PM, on Sunday, repeated that he would insist upon “full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan.”
He also said that it was his “insistence” that prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state which, according to Netanyahu “would have posed an existential danger to Israel.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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.
