Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday (Feb 7) said that the country’s total victory in Gaza is within reach and rejected Hamas’ latest offer for a ceasefire to ensure the return of hostages still held in the Palestinian enclave.
‘Victory is within reach’
“We are on the way to complete victory. The victory is within reach,” said Netanyahu, during a press conference, adding that the war will be won in a “matter of months” not years.
“We will continue until the end,” said the Israeli PM in his remarks shortly after meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
WATCH | Gravitas | Will Netanyahu agree to Hamas’ proposal?
“There is no other solution besides absolute victory.” He also said surrendering to Hamas’ “delusional demands” would spell disaster and only “invite an additional slaughter”.
“The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas,” said Netanyahu.
Hamas called for a ceasefire, the end of the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners, on Tuesday (Feb 6) in response to a recent United States-backed proposal to free hostages in return for pausing the Gaza war with Israel.
According to a draft document of Hamas’ counter proposal seen by Reuters, the Palestinian militant group envisions three phases of ceasefire lasting 45 days each for four-and-a-half months, which would allow them to exchange remaining Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
About the operation
Speaking about Israel’s ongoing ground operation in Gaza, Netanyahu said, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are working systematically and will achieve all the objectives of the war and will act “wherever and at any time that is necessary” in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli PM also touted the military’s accomplishments and called it “unprecedented”. Israel claims to have killed or injured 20,000 Hamas fighters and said that the IDF is working to systematically destroy the underground network of tunnels where Hamas is hiding.
The Israeli troops in Gaza have been ordered to “prepare to operate” in the city of Rafah, said Netanyahu, where more than one million Palestinians have sought refuge.
Hamas responds
Senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri called the Israeli PM’s statement “political bravado” which showed the Israeli leader’s intention to continue the conflict in the region, as per Reuters.
Meanwhile, another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan said a delegation of the militant group led by senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya would travel to Cairo on Thursday (Feb 8) to pursue ceasefire talks with mediators Egypt and Qatar.
Blinken’s another failed trip to Middle East?
Washington’s top diplomat is in the midst of his 5th trip to the region amid the ongoing war and met with leaders of Qatar and Egypt before talking to the Israeli PM.
During his meeting, Netanyahu said that he told Blinken that after Hamas is destroyed, Israel will “ensure that Gaza is demilitarized forever.”
Blinken also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
“Every visit from Blinken, instead of calming things down, it just makes things worse, we get more strikes, we get more bombing,” a mourner Mohammad Abundi told Reuters.
(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.
