No Gaza ceasefire until Israel war aims achieved, Netanyahu says

No Gaza ceasefire until Israel war aims achieved, Netanyahu says

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed and all hostages are released.

His statement comes after US President Joe Biden announced Israel had proposed a three-stage plan to Hamas aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire.

A senior Hamas politician has told the BBC it "will go for this deal" if Israel does.

The negotiations come as fighting continues in Rafah, with reports of Israeli air strikes on Saturday in the city on Egypt's border with Gaza.

There is no guarantee that the public pressure by Mr Biden on both Israel and Hamas to accept the plan will result in a deal.

In statement on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu's office said Israel's "conditions for ending the war have not changed".

It listed these as "the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel".

The statement added Israel would "continue to insist these conditions are met" before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire, emphasising that no deal could be signed before meeting them.

On Friday, Mr Biden described the plan as a comprehensive Israeli proposal that paved the way for a permanent ceasefire.

The first phase would include a full and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas and the exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

This would then be followed by the return of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers.

The final phase would see the remains of any deceased Israeli hostages returned, as well as a "major reconstruction plan" with US and international assistance to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals, Mr Biden said.

A total end to the conflict has been a key Hamas demand to engage in talks.

Following Mr Netanyahu's restating of his aims for the war, a spokesman for Hamas said it would back the plan if Israel did.

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau based in Qatar, told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme that the organisation welcomed the plan, but the next step relied on Israel.

In response to Mr Netanyahu's statement, he noted Israel's aims might not have changed, but it also had not achieved them.

"If he tries to continue, he will not find anything except the readiness of the Palestinians - all Palestinians - to resist the occupation," Mr Naim said.