Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday dismissed reports of an imminent cease-fire and hostage swap deal with Hamas, calling them “exactly inaccurate” during an interview with Fox News.
He contradicted statements by U.S. officials who had indicated that negotiations were nearly complete.
“There’s a story out there about a deal… that’s just false,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, it’s not close.”
His comments followed reports from a senior U.S. administration official who claimed that 90% of the terms had been agreed upon, with only a few key issues, including a prisoner exchange and the Philadelphi Corridor, remaining unresolved.
U.S. President Joe Biden had also suggested that an agreement was close. However, Netanyahu maintained that Israel had accepted several cease-fire proposals from U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari negotiators, accusing Hamas of not cooperating.
Hamas, in turn, blamed Netanyahu for delaying the deal due to his insistence on controlling the Philadelphi Corridor, a key area along Gaza’s border with Egypt, citing previous incidents of arms smuggling through the route. This remains a major sticking point in negotiations, with both Hamas and Egypt strongly opposing Israel’s continued presence in the corridor.
