Hamas on Thursday rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal, calling it “unrealistic” and accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using partial deals to advance his political agenda.
Khalil al-Hayya, who heads Hamas’ negotiating team and leads the terrorist group’s Gaza operations, said Hamas is ready to immediately negotiate a comprehensive deal that includes the release of all hostages in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the start of reconstruction efforts. “We will not be part of Netanyahu’s political cover for continuing the war,” he said.
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Steve Witkoff, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khalil al-Hayya
(Photo: Yariv Katz, REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
He added that the group’s weapons and armed resistance “are a natural right” tied to the existence of occupation, rejecting the possibility of disarmament.
The Hamas statement followed Israel’s submission of a proposal to Egyptian and Qatari mediators earlier this week. According to al-Hayya, Hamas had agreed to a mediator-backed plan at the end of Ramadan, but Netanyahu was intent on prolonging the war to serve his political future.
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In response, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who also serves as an additional minister in the Defense Ministry — called for a full military escalation in Gaza. “Israel will not surrender to Hamas and will not end the war without total victory,” he said in a statement.
Smotrich urged Netanyahu to “open the gates of hell” and intensify operations to include the full conquest of Gaza, the destruction of Hamas and the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate Gazans for rehabilitation in other countries. “Mr. Prime Minister, go ahead — give the order,” he said.
Earlier this week, the BBC reported, citing a senior Palestinian source, that Hamas had rejected a six-week ceasefire proposal under which Israel would release 16 deceased hostages and 10 living captives. In a separate interview with Al Jazeera, senior Hamas figure Mahmoud Mardawi said the terror group would never negotiate on its weapons or those who carry them. “Disarming the resistance is purely an Israeli proposal, not an Egyptian one,” he said.
HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS
(ILTV )
Meanwhile, Egyptian sources told Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar that progress had been made toward a ceasefire deal, although Cairo believes Israel’s current proposal is “not viable” and lacks minimal guarantees. Egyptian officials reportedly continue efforts to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas.
On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu held a phone-based security assessment with the Israeli negotiation team and senior defense officials. According to a statement from his office, Netanyahu instructed them to “continue efforts to advance the release of our hostages.”