Israel makes a possible permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip conditional on the demilitarization of Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he is willing to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza for a 60-day truce, but only if the Palestinian territory is demilitarized.
On the last day of his visit to the US, the Israeli prime minister threatened to resume the offensive against Gaza once the truce (which the Israeli and Hamas delegations are still negotiating in Qatar) ends if the Islamists do not lay down their weapons and cease to govern, and if Gaza is not demilitarized during that period.
"To achieve this (a permanent ceasefire), it must be done under the minimum conditions we have established: Hamas lays down its weapons, Gaza is demilitarized, and Hamas loses its governmental and military capacity ," Netanyahu said, adding: "If it is not achieved through negotiations within 60 days, we will achieve it in other ways, using force."
US President Donald Trump (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: AFP
The proposal on the table in Doha calls for a 60-day truce, during which Hamas and Israel must negotiate its continuation within a permanent ceasefire. The document stipulates that if the parties fail to reach an agreement on the day after the truce, it could be extended until they reach one.
"They told us 'they will not return to war' after the first ceasefire agreement. We returned. They told us, 'they will not fight again' after the second ceasefire. We returned. They said 'they will not fight again' after the third ceasefire. Do you want this to continue?" the president threatened in a video statement shortly before flying back to Israel after his visit to US President Donald Trump.
A group of people inspect the damage caused by an Israeli attack in Gaza. Photo: AFP
Netanyahu claims that the duration of the offensive against Gaza (more than 22 months in which Israel has killed more than 57,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children) is due to the fact that "thousands of armed fighters" remain in the enclave.
"We have prepared and are finally carrying out the most brilliant military operation in our history, undoubtedly among the most brilliant, which the entire world has been waiting for," he added.
The Israeli also said his government is seeking to maximize the release of hostages in Gaza "in the best possible way," but that "not everything" is in its hands, placing the blame for disagreements in the negotiations on Hamas.
Netanyahu (left) with a U.S. delegation during his visit to Washington. Photo: EFE
Similarly, Netanyahu asserted that he supports the current proposal, according to which Hamas would release 10 live Israeli hostages and another 18 dead ones during the 60-day truce, an idea also accepted by the Islamists.
Delegations from Israel and Hamas began indirect talks in Doha on Sunday to try to reach a temporary ceasefire in the war in Gaza, triggered by the Palestinian Islamist group's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
"At the beginning of this ceasefire, we will enter into negotiations to permanently end the war," the Israeli prime minister said in a video message from Washington on Thursday.
The war in Gaza has left more than 57,000 dead, most of them civilians. Photo: Getty Images
The October 7 attack left 1,219 dead on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official Israeli data.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 57,600 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the military campaign launched by Israel in retaliation, according to data from the Hamas government's Health Ministry, considered reliable by the UN. Meanwhile, 50 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be still alive.
With information from AFP and EFE
eltiempo
