Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has labeled a truce and hostage release plan outlined by US President Joe Biden as “partial,” according to government spokesman David Mencer on Monday.
Biden’s proposed Israeli three-phase plan aims to end the fighting, free all hostages held by Palestinian fighters, and rebuild Gaza without Hamas in power.
Netanyahu emphasized that the war would pause to return the hostages before discussing the elimination of Hamas.
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the plan as “irresponsible,” warning that it would prevent achieving the objective of destroying Hamas, and threatened to dissolve the government if Netanyahu agreed to it.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged the government to consider Biden’s proposal, promising support if the far-right coalition partners withdrew.
The conflict, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack that killed 1,190 people in Israel, has resulted in at least 36,479 Palestinian deaths from Israeli bombardments and ground offensives.
Mediation efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have stalled since a one-week truce in November that facilitated hostage exchanges and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
