Hamas blasts “Netanyahu’s lies” of shifting to defensive operations after strikes kill 70 in Gaza
Hamas issued a statement saying that the continued ‘Israeli’ attacks and horrific massacres in the Gaza Strip expose what it called the "lies" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding a reduction in military operations against civilians.
The group stated that strikes and "brutal bombing" since this morning have resulted in the deaths of 70 people, including children and women.
Hamas described the violence as a "bloody escalation" that contradicts Netanyahu's claims.
Read more: Hamas, ‘Israel’ to hold indirect Gaza talks in Cairo: state-linked media
Hebrew media reported that the ‘Israeli’ military had shifted to a defensive posture in Gaza following Trump's call to “immediately stop the bombing”, though the military did not confirm this in an official statement.
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump expressed appreciation that "Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed.”
The Strip's civil defense agency said ‘Israel’ carried out dozens of attacks on Gaza City overnight.
Netanyahu hoped Saturday to bring back all ‘Israeli’ captives from Gaza “in the coming days”, in statements made after Hamas agreed yesterday to the prisoner exchange outlined in Trump’s plan which will be followed by mediated negotiations in Cairo, Egypt.
In a video statement, Netanyahu claims that diplomatic, military pressure made Hamas agree to free the captives.
Netanyahu further claimed that Hamas will be disarmed either "by agreement or by war."
Read more: Netanyahu vows to disarm Hamas by “agreement or war”
Netanyahu announced that he has instructed his negotiation team to visit Egypt for "limited negotiations."
He expressed hope that he would "bring good news" about the return of all captives "in the coming days," stating that he has not compromised on their return for even "a moment."
Netanyahu said he coordinated with Trump on an initiative that led to pressure on Hamas and the group's agreement to "our plan to end the war,” and thanking his “friend Trump for his support”
