Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday there could be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas was destroyed, casting doubt on a key part of a truce proposal that U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel itself had made.
Biden said on Friday that Israel had proposed a deal involving an initial six-week truce with a partial Israeli military withdrawal and the release of some hostages while the two sides negotiated "a permanent end to hostilities".
However, Netanyahu's statement on Saturday said any notion that Israel would agree a permanent ceasefire before "the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities" was "a non-starter".
Peace talks have sputtered for months, with Israel demanding the release of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas, while Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of many Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas said on Friday it was ready to engage "positively and in a constructive manner" but one of the group's senior officials Mahmoud Mardawi said in a Qatari television interview that it had not yet received the details of the proposal.
"No agreement can be reached before the demand for the withdrawal of the occupation army and a ceasefire is met," he said. Hamas remains committed to Israel's destruction.
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@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
Considering the demands from both sides, do you think a compromise should involve sacrifices from both parties, and if so, what kind?
@9NCYWJ4 2yrs2Y
Yes. Agreements should be made to resolve the conflict.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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