Netanyahu doubles down: No Gaza ceasefire until Israel’s terms are met

The office of Israeli Occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that “there will be no comprehensive end to the war in Gaza until Tel Aviv’s conditions are met.”

Netanyahu claimed that Hamas has come under immense pressure, stressing that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) will continue its operations in Gaza.

For his part, Israeli Occupation Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Hamas had shown willingness to accept a deal involving the release of captives, but noted that this came “because of the serious threat of occupying Gaza City.”

Read more: Hamas officially confirms approval of ceasefire proposal

He added, “Hamas only agreed to discuss the proposal due to our credible threat to take over Gaza City.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Occupation Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated that “the war is at a decisive turning point,” pointing to preparations for the next phase of Operation Gideon's Chariots.

Zamir emphasized, “We are in the midst of an ongoing, unprecedented multi-dimensional campaign, and we will focus on deepening the damage to Hamas in Gaza City.”

Netanyahu had previously declared that Tel Aviv would not accept a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip unless a set of conditions were implemented, namely:

• The release of all captives at once.
• The disarmament of Hamas.
• 'Israeli' security control over the Strip.
• The formation of a government in Gaza unaffiliated with either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority (PA).
• Retaining the ability to resume fighting if the conditions are not fulfilled.

Earlier on Monday, Hamas announced its approval of the new ceasefire proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar, explaining that Palestinian factions had “conveyed their approval of the proposal submitted yesterday by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators.”

In the same context, an Egyptian official confirmed that the mediators had delivered the new proposal to 'Israel', stressing that the ball is now “in Israel’s court.”