The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is adamant about not ending the war until all its objectives are achieved. This statement comes after the U.S. President announced that Tel Aviv had proposed a new ceasefire plan.
The office added in a statement that the government is unified in its desire to secure the return of detainees as quickly as possible and is working towards this goal.
The statement emphasized that Netanyahu has instructed the negotiating team to present the outline for achieving the objective of retrieving the detainees in the Gaza Strip.
The statement quoted Prime Minister Netanyahu as saying, “The war in Gaza will not end until Hamas’s ability to govern and wage war is eliminated.”
The statement further noted, “The precise guidelines proposed by Israel, including conditional progression from one phase to another, allow Israel to maintain these principles.”
Netanyahu’s office did not clarify whether his proposal was the same as the one described by President Biden in his speech, nor did it directly reference Biden’s speech.
Separately, Israel’s Channel 12 reported an Israeli official as saying, “President Joe Biden does not understand the reality here; his speech is weak and represents a victory for Hamas.”
