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The Print
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Will defeat these ‘monsters' and get our hostages back: Netanyahu on deal with Hamas
'I hope we can complete it in a few days,' he told Newsmax's Greta Van Susteren in an interview before flying back to Israel while indirect talks continued in Qatar amid signs of deadlock. 'We think we can bring it to completion,' said Netanyahu. 'So I wouldn't tell you that we have a war goal that is unachievable. We're going to defeat these monsters and get our hostages back.' Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed hope that a hostage release deal with Hamas may be concluded in the coming days, adding that the potential agreement could trigger a 60-day ceasefire during which Israel and Hamas might negotiate an end to the conflict, according to The Times of Israel. 'We'll probably have a 60-day ceasefire. Get the first batch out and then use the 60 days to try to negotiate an end to this,' he said on the last day of a four-day visit in which he met US President Donald Trump twice. 'And this could end tomorrow, today, if Hamas lays down its arms.' Netanyahu granted three interviews to US media during his trip, but no interviews to the Israeli press, The Times of Israel reported. Amid reports that the Trump administration does not intend to allow Israel to resume fighting in Gaza after a potential ceasefire, Netanyahu promised earlier Thursday that Israel would return to war if Hamas does not give in. 'We were told, 'You will not return to war,' after the first ceasefire, and we did return,' said Netanyahu in a video statement. 'We were told 'You will not resume your fight,' after the second ceasefire, and we did. Now they're saying 'You will not continue fighting' after the third ceasefire. Do I need to say more?' After Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and Jerusalem declared war on the terrorist organization, the sides agreed to ceasefires in November 2023 and January 2025. Two sources told The Times of Israel on Wednesday that the Trump administration has assured mediators that it does not intend to allow Jerusalem to go back to fighting against Hamas in Gaza following a 60-day ceasefire, even if this is not explicitly included in the text of the deal being negotiated in Washington and Qatar. The issue of whether Israel will be able to restart its military campaign after the proposed 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living and 18 dead hostages is one of the main sticking points in talks, which have failed to produce a breakthrough even as leaders continue to express some optimism, The Times of Israel said. However, signs that negotiations remain stalled persisted on Thursday. Hamas said it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza, citing disagreements over troop withdrawal and the free flow of aid into Gaza, along with demands for 'real guarantees' for a lasting truce. In his Thursday video, Netanyahu said Israel is willing to discuss the end of the war in Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire, should Hamas and Israel come to an agreement. But, he cautioned, the war will end only under Israel's conditions: 'Hamas lays down its weapons, Gaza is demilitarized, Hamas no longer has any governmental or military capabilities. These are our basic conditions.' Netanyahu has made those demands throughout the war, which Hamas has repeatedly rejected. 'One way or another,' said Netanyahu, 'Israel's war aims will be achieved. If this can be achieved through negotiations — that's great. If it is not achieved through negotiations in 60 days, we will achieve it in other ways; by using force, the force of our heroic army,' The Times of Israel quoted him as saying, following a memorial service for two embassy employees who were murdered in May. In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump told reporters, 'We're getting very close to a deal on Gaza.' That came after Netanyahu stated there was a 'good chance' to reach a deal, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he thought an agreement to end 21 months of fighting was 'achievable.' Netanyahu also addressed criticism about how long the war has lasted. 'First of all, this is a war zone that no army in the world has faced,' he said. 'And thanks to the heroism of the fighters, thanks to the sacrifice of the fallen, thanks to the creativity, we dismantled most of Hamas's military capabilities. But not all of them. There are still thousands of fighters there with weapons.' The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu reiterated Israel's dual approach: 'We want to act, again, with a combination of diplomacy and military force, and military force if diplomacy doesn't work, to complete the mission.' Regarding the order in which hostages will be released, Netanyahu said he would prefer to get everyone out at once, but 'we are dealing with a cruel terrorist organization. Of course, we would like to rescue everyone, and from our point of view, they are all humanitarian. I want to rescue everyone in one fell swoop.' 'Here we are dealing with two stages, but the choice is not always ours. We will do everything to maximize this release in the best possible way. Not everything is in our hands.' Netanyahu told hostage families on Wednesday that Hamas will determine which hostages will be released during the 60-day truce, a source present at the Washington meeting told The Times of Israel. The source said Netanyahu told the families that, from Israel's perspective, all hostages are considered 'humanitarian' — meaning no living captive group will be prioritised over another, given their dire conditions after 643 days in Gaza. However, two sources told the Haaretz daily that intelligence on the hostages' conditions is being delivered to Netanyahu's office, and the political leadership will decide on the order of release. Earlier Thursday, Netanyahu addressed a memorial service for slain embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim at the Israeli mission in Washington. 'The agony of losing a brother is great,' Netanyahu said. 'The agony of losing a son is greater.' He also acknowledged Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, who lost his son in the war in Gaza. According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu shared that he spoke about the victims with Trump. After seeing their photo, Trump reportedly said, 'What a beautiful couple.' Netanyahu signed a memorial book, unveiled a plaque with a photograph of the two victims, and affixed a new mezuzah at the embassy ceremony, which Milgrim's parents and Lischinsky's siblings attended in person while his parents watched via Zoom. Having a Jewish state 'comes with a heavy cost,' Netanyahu said, pledging to fight rising antisemitism amid what he described as an organized campaign. 'When we began the great return to our land,' he said, 'the first thing Israel did was create an army. God helps those who help themselves.' 'We do not bow down. We do not surrender. We win,' Netanyahu concluded. This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also Read: Trump says Israel has agreed to 60-day ceasefire on Gaza, urges Hamas to accept the deal
Daily Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Netanyahu: Truce deal within reach
Published on: Saturday, July 12, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jul 12, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: A Palestinian inspects the damage at the site of an overnight Israeli strike on the Halima Saadiya school in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli forces were targeting 'terrorist infrastructure' in southern Gaza, the military said Friday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced hope that an agreement with Hamas could be reached within days for a pause in the 21-month war. Negotiators from Israel and the Palestinian militant group have been locked in indirect talks in Qatar since Sunday to try to agree a temporary ceasefire. Netanyahu said a lasting truce could follow, but only if Hamas lays down its arms and is no longer able to govern or operate in the Gaza Strip. On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency reported a fresh wave of Israeli strikes, including one that killed five people at a school building sheltering displaced Palestinians. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. In the south of the territory, a witness said there were ongoing attacks and widespread devastation, with Israeli tanks seen near the city of Khan Yunis. 'The situation remains extremely difficult in the area—intense gunfire, intermittent air strikes, artillery shelling and ongoing bulldozing and destruction of displacement camps and agricultural land' south of Khan Yunis, he added. Israel's military said in a statement that it was operating in the Khan Yunis area against 'terrorist infrastructure sites, both above and below ground'. In Qatar, sticking points remain in the talks, both sides said. Hamas, whose cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the war, has said that as part of a truce deal it was willing to release 10 of the hostages taken that day. In an interview with US outlet Newsmax broadcast on Thursday, Netanyahu said that would leave 10 living hostages still in captivity. 'I hope we can complete it in a few days,' he added of the initial ceasefire agreement and hostage release. 'We'll probably have a 60-day ceasefire, get the first batch out, then use the 60-day ceasefire to negotiate an end to this.' Netanyahu, who was in Washington this week and met Trump twice to discuss the ceasefire proposals, is under pressure at home to end the war because of mounting military casualties. Trump is looking to secure a deal while his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has said it could be concluded by the end of this week. On Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel was ready to start talks for a lasting deal with Hamas when a temporary ceasefire is in place. But he said the Islamist militants must first give up their weapons and their hold on the Palestinian territory. Failure to do so on Israel's terms would lead to further conflict, Netanyahu said. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has also said the Doha talks could take 'a few more days', with unresolved issues including agreement on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages. Hamas has said it wants 'real guarantees' on a lasting truce as well as the free flow of aid to help Gaza's population of more than two million people, who are facing dire humanitarian conditions. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told AFP on Thursday that his group wanted Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza and would not accept any Israeli moves to herd Palestinians into 'isolated enclaves'. Hamas's October 2023 attack led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Out of 251 hostages seized in the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. At least 57,762 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Shafaq News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
From Washington: Netanyahu signals imminent Gaza deal
Shafaq News – Middle East Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that a confidential agreement on Gaza was reached with US President Donald Trump, indicating that details may be revealed soon. Speaking to Newsmax, Netanyahu stated, 'We still have around 50 hostages — 20 we know are alive, and approximately 30 believed to be dead.' According to Netanyahu, a tentative framework is in place under which Hamas would initially release 10 hostages and hand over the remains of about half of the deceased captives. He reiterated his commitment to securing the return of all remaining hostages, living and deceased. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed in Doha last Sunday, as international mediators continue efforts to broker a ceasefire
India.com
5 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Israel ready for permanent ceasefire with Hamas but..., Netanyahu lays down condition to stop fight in Gaza, calls Hamas...
Israel ready for permanent ceasefire with Hamas but..., Netanyahu lays down condition to stop fight in Gaza, calls Hamas... The Israel-Hamas war is on for almost two years now. On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's retaliation has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that once a temporary peace agreement is reached, his government is ready to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Hamas whom he referred as demon. However, there is a condition to it. Netanyahu also hoped to reach a deal in a few days for the release of more Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. In a video message sent from Washington, he warned that if an agreement is not reached on Israel's conditions, the fighting will continue. Netanyahu said that this is possible only when Hamas is ready to give up its weapons. He said that Hamas will first have to give up its weapons and control over Gaza. What Netanyahu said? 'At the beginning of the ceasefire, we will begin negotiations for a permanent end to the war, that is, a permanent ceasefire,' Netanyahu said in the message. He further said that this should be done under the basic conditions set by Israel. 'Hamas must lay down its arms. Gaza must be demilitarized and Hamas must no longer have any governance or military capabilities.' Will there be an agreement soon? Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed hope that an agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages can be reached soon. In an interview with Newsmax's Greta Van Susteren before returning to Israel, Netanyahu said, 'I hope we will complete it in a matter of days.' He said, we will probably do a 60-day ceasefire. Take out the first batch (of hostages) and then use the 60 days to negotiate an end to this problem.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Netanyahu says he hopes hostage deal can be done in few days
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he hoped to reach a deal in a few days for the release of more Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Netanyahu said 50 hostages were still being held captive by Hamas. Of that figure, he said, only 20 are believed to be alive. "I want to take them all out. We now have a deal that supposedly will get half of the living and half of the dead out," Netanyahu said in an interview on Newsmax show "The Record with Greta Van Susteren" that aired on Thursday. "And so we'll have 10 living left and about 12 deceased hostages, but I'll get them out, too. I hope we can complete it in a few days." On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's retaliation has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. Live Events The two sides have had two ceasefires - one in November 2023 and another in January 2025- since the fighting started. Netanyahu said Israel and Hamas will likely have a 60-day ceasefire, which the two sides could use to try to end the conflict. Hamas said on Wednesday there were several sticking points in the ongoing ceasefire talks including the flow of aid, withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and "genuine guarantees for a permanent ceasefire." Netanyahu's interview with Newsmax comes as he wraps his third visit to Washington since President Donald Trump took office in January. Speaking of Trump, the Israeli leader said his country has never had "such a friend, such a support of Israel, the Jewish state in the White House." Last month, the U.S. joined Israel in striking Iran, a move that Trump has said "obliterated" three of Iran's nuclear sites. When asked about a damage assessment, Netanyahu said, "Within months, they could have produced atomic bombs." Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
