Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated he will only agree to a partial cease-fire in Gaza, raising doubts about the viability of a U.S.-backed truce proposal aimed at ending the 8-month-long conflict.
Netanyahu expressed willingness to make a partial deal to free some of the 120 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza but emphasized that the war would resume after a pause to eliminate Hamas.
These remarks come as Israel and Hamas diverge on the cease-fire terms, and Israeli leaders hint at a potential conflict with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The proposed truce involves a three-phase plan, including the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas demands a permanent cease-fire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza for the hostages’ release.
The war began after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250. Since then, Israeli offensives have killed over 37,600 in Gaza.
The U.N. warns of a “plausible risk of genocide,” which Israel denies.
