Israeli premier denies potential Gaza cease-fire while Hamas in power

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday denied a US media report suggesting that Tel Aviv might end its war on the Gaza Strip while Hamas remains in power.

The New York Times reported that Israel’s top generals want to begin a cease-fire in Gaza even if it keeps Hamas in power for the time being.

“Underequipped for further fighting after Israel’s longest war in decades, the generals also think their forces need time to recuperate in case a land war breaks out against Hezbollah,” the US daily said.

Israeli military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believe that a truce with Hamas could also make it easier to reach a deal with Hezbollah, it added.

But Netanyahu dismissed the US media report.

“Anonymous sources briefing the New York Times claim that Israel wants a cease-fire in Gaza even if it leaves Hamas in power for the time being,” Netanyahu said in a video message.

“I don’t know who those unnamed parties are, but I’m here to make it unequivocally clear: It won’t happen. We will end the war only after we have achieved all of its goals, including the elimination of Hamas and the release of all our hostages,” he added.

Netanyahu argued that the Israeli army “has all the means to achieve the goals.”

“We will not succumb to defeatism, neither at The New York Times nor anywhere else,” he said. “We are filled with the spirit of victory.”

The Israeli army also said that it is determined to continue fighting to achieve the war's objectives, including the destruction of Hamas, rescuing hostages, and ensuring a safe return of residents in northern and southern Israel to their homes.

Early on Tuesday, Israeli media reported that the army was preparing to enter the war's third phase of military operations in Gaza after almost nine months of fighting, which includes transitioning from intensive bombing to targeted airstrikes based on intelligence.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than 37,900 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and around 87,141 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio