KUALA LUMPUR – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed Hamas’ proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, calling the group “delusional” in a setback to diplomatic efforts to pause the war.
“We haven’t committed to anything. We haven’t committed to any of the delusional demands of Hamas, the numbers of terrorists with blood on their hands (to release).
“There is not a commitment – there has to be a negotiation, it’s a process, and at the moment, from what I see from Hamas, it’s not happening,” Netanyahu said during a press conference yesterday (early this morning Malaysian time).
Hamas had presented its response to a proposal for a deal by calling for a phased Israeli withdrawal from the enclave during a four-and-a-half-month truce and a plan to permanently end the war, according to a copy of the group’s counter-offer obtained by CNN.
But Netanyahu said that Israel’s aim was “complete victory” and the country would “not do less than that.”
“We are on the way to complete victory. The victory is achievable; it’s not a matter of years or decades, it’s a matter of months,” he said.
Netanyahu’s response is likely to be seen as a blow to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is visiting the region amid intensifying efforts aimed at securing a breakthrough in the conflict.
However, the Israeli leader did not rule out the possibility of further negotiations.
Hamas will now send a delegation to Cairo to follow up on its proposals for the hostage and ceasefire deal, the group’s spokesman Osama Hamdan said at a press conference in Beirut yesterday.
Hamdan said the delegation would travel to Cairo today “in the context of our keenness to achieve the best results in a way that serves the interests of our people, stops their suffering, and alleviates their pain.”
Speaking in Tel Aviv yesterday, Blinken suggested negotiations could still move forward, saying he believed Netanyahu’s comments dismissing the Hamas proposal as “delusional” were referring to its “absolute non-starters.”
“Clearly, there are things that Hamas sent back that are absolute non-starters and I assume that’s what the prime minister was referring to, but I don’t want to speak for him,” he added.
He added that there was “space to continue to pursue an agreement, and these things are always negotiations.”
“It’s not flipping a light switch. It’s not yes or no. There’s invariably back and forth,” Blinken said. – February 8, 2024