Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization and its Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror ally have rejected a proposal by Egypt for a permanent ceasefire, on condition the two terror groups release the hostages abducted from Israel on October 7th and abandon their control over Gaza.
Both terror groups held separate talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo.
Under the proposal, there would be a gradual hostage release along with the creation of the technocratic Palestinian Authority government to administer both Gaza and the PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, according to a European diplomat and a senior Egyptian official.
“There can be no negotiations without a complete stop to the aggression. “The Hamas leadership is aiming with all its might for a complete, not temporary, end to the aggression and massacres of our people,” Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq told Reuters on Monday.
It was a non-starter for Israel in any case.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said while visiting IDF soldiers in northern Gaza that Israel has no intention of stopping the war started by Hamas at this point.
“We will do everything to maintain your safety and your lives,” Netanyahu told the soldiers. “While we want to pursue the mission, we want to safeguard you even more. That is the first – and most important – thing.
“Second, we are not stopping. Whoever talks about stopping – there is no such thing. We are not stopping. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less,” he emphasized.
While speaking at the Knesset earlier in the day, the prime minister said the IDF will intensify its offensive on Hamas in the coming days, and said the war is “nowhere near its end.”
Netanyahu was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Tzachi Braverman, and his Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil.
