Israeli PM Netanyahu outlines 5 principles for ending Gaza war

United News of India

3 days ago

Tel Aviv, Aug 14 (UNI) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today outlined five principles set by the Cabinet for ending the Gaza war and said their implementation will ensure Israel's security and victory in the war.
In a statement, Netanyahu said: "One week ago, I convened the Security Cabinet and we determined five principles for the conclusion of the war:
1. Hamas is to be disarmed.
2. All hostages - the living and the deceased - are to be returned. We will not give up on a single one.
3. The Strip is to be demilitarized. Not only must Hamas be disarmed, but it must be ensured that weapons will be neither produced in the Strip nor smuggled into the Strip.
4. There will be Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip, including the security perimeter.
5. There will be an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority - people who will neither educate their children for terrorism, nor finance terrorism, nor dispatch terrorism.
"These five principles will ensure the security of Israel. This is the meaning of the word 'victory'," he said.
The Israeli PM's statement comes a day after he said that he believes the prospects for a partial ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas are no longer possible.
In an interview with Israeli broadcaster i24, Netanyahu said the possibility of reaching a partial agreement is behind us.
He rejected accusations from opposition figures and former senior military officials that he was dragging his feet in the war, saying the goal remains to end the conflict, defeat Hamas and secure the release of all hostages as part of a single final agreement on our terms.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel plans to extend its military campaign beyond Gaza City into the last areas outside its control, where most of the enclave's roughly two million residents have taken refuge amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
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