Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed his unwavering commitment to a proposed prisoner exchange deal involving detainees held by Hamas in Gaza, emphasizing that any agreement resulting from current negotiations “must allow Tel Aviv to return to combat”, Anadolu Agency reports.
In May, US President, Joe Biden, highlighted a plan to reach a prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas and to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.
The plan outlines the basic principles for a prisoner swap and the complete restoration of calm in Gaza, forming the basis of ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
Speaking during a military officer graduation ceremony, Netanyahu emphasized the importance of releasing “a greater number of live captives”.
“As a matter of national responsibility,” Netanyahu stated, “any proposed deal must allow us to return to combat in Gaza.” He further asserted that Tel Aviv would continue its military campaign in the region until all its objectives are achieved, “even if it takes time”.
Netanyahu also claimed that Hamas is holding firm to demands that jeopardise Israel’s security.
Despite months of mediation efforts, hindered by Israeli reluctance under US cover, a comprehensive agreement has yet to be reached.
Reports from official Israeli sources indicate that indirect negotiations between Tel Aviv and Hamas have resumed, focusing on a prisoner exchange involving Israeli detainees and a cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
So far, efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of Hamas’s call to halt hostilities.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since a 7 October, 2023 attack by Hamas.
Over 38,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
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