Netanyahu ‘rejects outright’ ending of Gaza conflict in return for hostages

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has ruled out ending the fighting in Gaza in exchange for the return of the hostages still in Hamas captivity.

“Let it be clear: I reject outright the terms of surrender of the Hamas monsters,” he said in a statement on Sunday night. “Hamas is demanding the end of the war, the exit of our forces from Gaza, releasing all the murderers and rapists of the Nukhba [Hamas strike force] and leaving Hamas intact. If we agree to this, our soldiers fell in vain. If we agree to this, the next October 7th will be just a matter of time.”

His comments came after the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that talks were expected to begin in Cairo in the coming days for a new hostage-release deal, following mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

According to the report, the 90-day process will start with the release of some hostages and includes the eventual withdrawal of Israel forces from the Gaza Strip.

Israel-Hamas war: Hamas delegation will visit Egyptian capital Cairo on Monday for talks

---

‘A red cross puts a target on you’: A surgeon on Israeli strikes on Gaza’s medical system

---

Hamas receives Israeli response to truce proposal as strike kills six people in Rafah

---

Pro-Palestine protests spread across campuses as Columbia University calls for inquiry into leadership

---

Two hundred and forty hostages were seized by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on October 7th. Of these, 136 are still in captivity in Gaza, but some were dead when they were taken and others were killed in captivity, either during Israeli military actions or by militants.

Israel defence forces spokesman rear admiral Daniel Hagari has revealed that Israeli troops found a tunnel in the Khan Younis area that had been used previously to hold a group of 20 hostages.

Relatives of the hostages have stepped up their protests with weekend demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and opposite Mr Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea.

Kobi Ben Ami, whose brother, Ohad, was kidnapped from kibbutz Be’eri, said: “We don’t want 136 coffins. No. We want them alive.”

[ Israel-Hamas war: UN secretary general condemns Israel for ‘unprecedented’ killing of civilians ]

[ Israel drops leaflets seeking hostages as air strikes on Gaza continue ]

As the fighting in Gaza continued, defence minister Yoav Gallant vowed that the Israeli ground operation would shortly be extended to new areas.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 25,000 residents have been killed. Some 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the October 7th Hamas attack. According to a World Bank report, 60 per cent of residential buildings in Gaza have sustained significant damage in the war and 45 per cent have been destroyed and rendered unlivable.

In an effort to ease the humanitarian crisis and at the request of the US, Israel has agreed to deliver a sufficiently large quantity of flour to the Gaza Strip to last for several months.

One of the elements Washington wants in a wider “day after” settlement is an Israeli commitment to a Palestinian state. However, Mr Netanyahu continues to give contradictory messages. After publicly rejecting a Palestinian state, he explained to US president Joe Biden on Friday that his comments were not intended to close the door on such a possibility. This caused an angry response from members of his right-wing coalition, prompting the prime minister’s office to release a rare statement on the Jewish Sabbath, reiterating Mr Netanyahu’s opposition to a Palestinian state.

With cross-border fire continuing on Israel’s northern border, Israel is expanding its pinpoint strikes on senior militants across the region.

Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, said Saturday’s air strike in Damascus that killed five senior members of Iran’s security forces would not “go unanswered”. The missile strike on a residential building in the Syrian capital, blamed on Israel, killed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence chief in Syria, his deputy and other guard members.

A number of Hizbullah militants were killed in two separate strikes on cars travelling in south Lebanon over the weekend.

• Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
• Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
• Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here