Netanyahu: Deal with Hamas ‘not close’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a cease-fire and hostage release deal was “not close,” as both sides appear to have broken further apart on major parts of the negotiations, including Israel’s military presence in Gaza.

Netanyahu told Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade that Hamas is not negotiating in good faith, accusing them of trying to cement control over Gaza by booting Israel out through the negotiations.

“Hamas is not there with a deal.

There’s not a deal in the making,” he said in the interview. “They want to reconstitute their terror kingdom.

And it’s – unfortunately it’s not close.”

“But we’ll do everything we can to get them to the point where they do make a deal,” he added.

Hamas has also thrown cold water on the negotiations, which just a few weeks ago the Biden administration signaled was close to the finish line.