Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Israelis Saturday night that he only plans to halt the take over Gaza City if Hamas agrees to all of the Jewish state’s demands for ending the war — after the terror group seemed open to a partial cease-fire for the first time.
“We will agree to a deal on the condition that all the hostages are released in a single phase and in accordance with our terms for ending the war,” read the statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Those terms include the disarming of Hamas soldiers, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance that will live in peace with the Jewish state, according to the prime minister.
Netanyahu’s comments come after reports that the terror group had backtracked on its position and sent a message to mediators in Cairo this week expressing readiness to agree on a “partial deal” for the first time.
Previously, Hamas leaders had said they were only willing to settle for a full cease-fire deal, leading to the collapse of hostage talks in Qatar last month.
The “partial deal” reportedly involves the release of 10 living hostages, held in Hamas captivity for nearly 700 days, and 18 dead ones in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners — a proposal that mirrors the US-backed Qatari deal first floated in May that the terror group balked at.
There are 50 Israeli hostages still in Hamas captivity, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Hamas’ about face was first reported by Israeli television Friday evening, citing a classified document it had received from Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, thousands of protestors rallied in Tel Aviv Saturday night to put pressure on the Israeli government to agree to a hostage deal. The showing comes ahead of a planned nationwide strike Sunday meant to protest the expansion of the war in Gaza.
Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas-held captive Matan Zangauker, said the strike was “only the beginning.”
“We’ll stop the country tomorrow for our lives here, for our children, for the state of Israel,” she told the crowd at the rally, the Times of Israel reported. “We can’t take any more.”
“We’ve stopped waiting for Netanyahu to stop the war when it’s convenient for him politically,” she added.
“We demand quiet, security, a future, and the end of the war.”
Meanwhile, fighting ramped up north of Tel Aviv as Israeli fighter jets struck a Hezbollah facility and a tunnel Friday belonging to the terror group in southern Lebanon, the Israeli Defense Forces reported.
The IDF said the Hezbollah facility was a violation of the Israel-Lebanon cease-fire, which was ironed out in October 2024.
“We will not budge from our policy of maximum enforcement and will not allow threats to arise against the residents of the north and all citizens of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Last week, the Lebanese government approved a US-backed roadmap to disarm the Iran-linked terror group, infuriating Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, who threatened there would be “no life in Lebanon” should its weapons be taken by force.
