The prospect of an agreement to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas appeared to have receded on Sunday after a Hamas official said Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of their conditions meant there was “no chance” of their return.
Netanyahu had previously rejected the militant group's conditions for ending the war, which he said included leaving Hamas in power and Israel's complete withdrawal from the area.
A Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Portal that the Israeli prime minister's refusal to end the military offensive in Gaza “means there is no chance for the terrorists to return.” [Israeli] Prisoners”, whose number is estimated at 130.
Netanyahu faces growing pressure to secure the release of the hostages, but said in a statement that Hamas' demands included “the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all murderers and rapists… and the integrity of Hamas.”
“I strongly reject the conditions for the surrender of the Hamas monsters,” he added.
On Sunday evening, family members of hostages began protesting outside Benjamin Netanyahu's private home in Jerusalem. The Israeli Forum for Hostages and Missing Families said the protesters would stay until “the prime minister agrees to an agreement to return the hostages.”
In a separate statement, the advocacy group demanded that Netanyahu “state clearly that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers and others abducted in the October debacle.”
“If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public.”
Under a deal negotiated in late November between the United States, Qatar and Egypt, more than 100 of the estimated 240 hostages captured during an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants in Gaza were released in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israel in prison.
Relatives of Israeli hostages set up tents in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home. Photo: Anadolu/Getty ImagesSince then, several attempts to reach another ceasefire have failed.
Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to continue the Gaza offensive until “total victory,” but commentators in Israel questioned the conduct of the war, arguing that the goals of the offensive were unrealistic and accusing the Israeli prime minister of indecision.
In his statement on Sunday, Netanyahu also reiterated his clear line on the issue of Palestinian statehood. “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control of the entire area west of the Jordan,” he said.
On Saturday, Netanyahu rejected Joe Biden's call for a post-war Palestinian state. His office said that in talks Friday with the U.S. president, Netanyahu “reaffirmed his policy that after the destruction of Hamas, Israel must maintain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, a demand that contradicts the demand for Israel “Palestinian sovereignty”.
On Sunday, the Gaza Strip Health Ministry announced that 25,000 Palestinians had been killed in Israel's war against Hamas. UN chief António Guterres described the scale of civilian killings as “heartbreaking and completely unacceptable”.
Most of the victims were women and children, the ministry said, and thousands more bodies were likely to lie uncounted under rubble across the Gaza Strip.
At a world summit in the Ugandan capital Kampala, Guterres condemned Israel's three-month attack.
“Israel’s military operations have resulted in mass destruction and civilian deaths on a scale unprecedented in my time as secretary-general,” Guterres said at the opening of the G77+China, a coalition of 135 developing countries.
Portal contributed to this report