Netanyahu says no permanent Gaza ceasefire until Hamas destroyed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday there would be no permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas' military and governing capabilities were destroyed.

His comments in a statement published online came after U.S. President Joe Biden said that Israel had proposed a three-phase deal for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for Hamas releasing hostages.

"Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: The destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said.

"Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place. The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter," he added.

The statement mirrors the uncompromising stance the Israeli government clung to in previous ceasefire talks, which puts into question whether the deal laid out by Biden can be achieved.

Hamas earlier said it was ready to engage "positively and in a constructive manner" with any proposal based on a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reconstruction of Gaza, a return of those displaced, and a "genuine" prisoner swap deal if Israel "clearly announces commitment to such deal."

The U.S. president, a staunch supporter of Israel's war and who has also pushed for a ceasefire, called the second phase of the new proposal "a permanent end to hostilities." He added that negotiations to arrive at the second phase could take longer than six weeks as there were going to be differences between the two sides.

"Israel will want to make sure its interests are protected, but the proposal says if the negotiations take longer than six weeks from phase one, the ceasefire will still continue for as long as negotiations continue," Biden said, which would mark a new development from previous proposals.

On the home front, Netanyahu is facing angry protesters who have grown increasingly frustrated over his failure to secure a deal that could bring back hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. But at the same time, his far-right coalition partners, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have threatened to bring down his government if the war ends without the destruction of Hamas.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, a constant critic of Netanyahu, has vowed to support the prime minister if he goes ahead with the ceasefire deal that Ben Gvir and Smotrich had previously opposed.

Lapid said in a post on social media platform X, "I remind Netanyahu that he has our safety net for a hostage deal if Ben Gvir and Smotrich leave the government".

"The Israeli government cannot ignore President Biden's important speech," Lapid said.

"There is a deal on the table and it should take it."

(With input from Reuters, AFP)