JERUSALEM, Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a shot Sunday at what he believes are inaccurate media reports and blamed Hamas for holding up good-faith negotiations for the hostages held in Gaza by demanding that Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire rather than a truce.
After the weekly cabinet meeting, the prime minister said his government has been working in “every possible way” to gain the hostages’ release and end the suffering for them and their families.
He charged, “But while Israel has shown this willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, primarily the demand to withdraw all our forces from the Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas intact.”
He added, “The State of Israel cannot accept this. We are not ready to accept a situation in which the Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threatening the citizens of Israel in the surrounding settlements, in the cities of the south, in all parts of the country.”
Should such a scenario occur, Netanyahu warned, “The next October 7th would be just a matter of time.”
He made it clear that Israel still is willing to negotiate a temporary truce, but to
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