Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the conflict in Gaza will continue even if a ceasefire deal is reached with Hamas. He reiterated his refusal to agree to any deal that calls for an end to the eight-month war.
Netanyahu expressed openness to a “partial” deal that would facilitate the return of some captives still held in Gaza, but emphasized that he would not agree to any deal that stipulates an end to Israel’s war on Gaza. This stance contradicts previous claims by the United States that an Israeli proposal could lead to an end to the offensive.
“The goal is to return the kidnapped and uproot the Hamas regime in Gaza,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israeli media outlet Channel 14.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have consistently protested against Netanyahu and his government, demanding early elections and a deal to return the captives.
Last month, US President Joe Biden proposed a ceasefire that would include a six-week pause in fighting and the release of some Israeli captives in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. These exchanges would then pave the way for negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.
While US officials have stated that Israel authored the proposal, Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have pledged to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated and have refused to fully endorse the proposal.
Netanyahu also announced that Israel’s “intense” military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah was nearing its conclusion.
“The intense phase of the fighting against Hamas is about to end,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that the war is about to end, but the war in its intense phase is about to end in Rafah.”
In his first interview with an Israeli news outlet since the war in Gaza began, Netanyahu rejected the idea of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank running Gaza in place of Hamas.
“We also want to create a civilian administration, if possible with local Palestinians and maybe with external backing from countries in the region, to manage humanitarian supply and later on, civilian affairs in the Strip,” he said.
Netanyahu emphasized the need for ongoing demilitarization by the Israeli military and the establishment of a civilian administration in Gaza.
The Gaza Strip has been embroiled in more than eight months of war since a Hamas-led attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,139 people, with dozens still held captive in Gaza.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has since killed at least 37,598 people, according to the Palestinian territory’s Ministry of Health.
Netanyahu also announced that troops would soon be deployed to the northern border with Lebanon for defensive purposes.
“After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And we will do this. First and foremost for defensive purposes. And secondly, to bring our [evacuated] residents home,” Netanyahu told Channel 14.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced from northern Israel and southern Lebanon, which have seen near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters since the war in Gaza began.
