Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ramp up military pressure on Hamas—despite the terror group’s offer to release all remaining hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, Reuters reports.
In a late-night televised address Saturday, Netanyahu dismissed the deal on the table, doubling down on a military campaign that Hamas claims has killed 51,000 Palestinians since the war began.
“Israel has no choice but to continue fighting for our very existence, until victory,” Netanyahu stated.
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“Ending the war under these surrender conditions would send a message to all of Israel’s enemies that abducting Israelis can bring Israel to its knees.”
Under the proposed deal, all 59 remaining hostages would be returned, including Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander. Hamas claims Alexander’s whereabouts are now unknown, since an Israeli airstrike killed the militant who was holding him. His family, like many others, has pleaded with Israeli and U.S. officials to prioritize his safe return.
Netanyahu did not mention the American in his speech, but instead signaled he has no plans to end the bombing. Israel Defense Forces have been instructed to intensify operations across Gaza, where the Hamas-controlled health ministry alleges more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in the past month.
The escalation follows a breakdown in ceasefire talks, with Hamas insisting that any release of hostages must come with a permanent end to hostilities—something Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected.
“Hamas demands the complete withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor, and the security buffer that protects Israeli communities from Hamas terror,” he said.
“It would prove that terrorism pays, and that message would endanger the entire free world.”
The Israeli leader’s stance pits him against growing domestic and international pressure to strike a deal. Critics say Netanyahu is prolonging the war to protect his own political survival and avoid having to answer to the bribery, fraud, and corruption charges he currently faces. Hostage families have accused him of prioritizing total victory over their loved ones’ lives.
The speech came just hours after Hamas released another hostage video—this time showing Israeli captive Elkana Bohbot pleading for his life. “How much longer will he be expected to wait and ‘stay strong’?” his family have asked.
International efforts to resume negotiations between the two sides continue. The surviving hostages have now been held by Hamas for 561 days, since they were taken by the group to gain leverage over Israel as part of the October 7 mass-murder attacks on Israelis living close to the Gaza Strip.
