Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that Israel’s intensified military operations against Hamas in Gaza have been effective, emphasizing that the Palestinian group must surrender its weapons.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu asserted that Israel is “negotiating under fire” and claimed that Hamas’ demands in the ongoing talks are beginning to show signs of softening.
Netanyahu’s comments come as Egypt, Qatar, and the United States continue mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
On Saturday, a senior Hamas official confirmed that the group had accepted a new ceasefire proposal from the mediators and urged Israel to do the same.
In response, Netanyahu’s office acknowledged receiving the proposal and confirmed that Israel had submitted a counteroffer. However, details of the latest mediation efforts remain undisclosed.
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Addressing speculation that Israel was unwilling to negotiate, Netanyahu rejected such claims, reiterating that Hamas must disarm. “We are willing. Hamas must lay down its arms… Its leaders will be allowed to leave Gaza,” he said.
He further stated that Israel would oversee security in Gaza and facilitate the implementation of the Trump administration’s voluntary migration plan, which proposed relocating Gaza’s population to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
The plan, announced during former U.S. President Donald Trump’s tenure, was widely condemned by the international community.
Tensions in the region escalated after a fragile truce, which had provided weeks of relative calm, collapsed on March 18 when Israel resumed its aerial bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike in the Khan Yunis area killed at least eight people, including five children, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
AFP
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