Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would continue the war in the Gaza Strip until all objectives were achieved and blamed the Palestinian militant group Hamas for the impasse in negotiations on a temporary ceasefire.
“Capitulating to Hamas’ demands would be a terrible defeat for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said Sunday in a video message. “It would be a great victory for Hamas, Iran and the entire axis of evil. It would be a demonstration of terrible weakness for our friends and our enemies.”
If Israel demonstrated weakness in this way, it would only bring the next war closer “and push the next peace agreement forward,” he warned, “because alliances are not made with the weak and the defeated. the strong and the victorious.”
Mediated talks are currently taking place in Cairo, involving representatives of Hamas, with the hope of securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. There was also discussion about a possible ceasefire.
Netanyahu said Israel demonstrated flexibility during the Cairo talks, while Hamas maintained its “extreme positions, first and foremost the withdrawal of our forces from the Strip, concluding the war and leaving Hamas intact.”
