Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday during a public address that he rejected a ceasefire by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to multiple reports.
Netanyahu told reporters Hamas had issued “crazy terms” and was not taking negotiations seriously, The Jerusalem Post reported.
“I would like to emphasize again – there is no other solution than total victory. If Hamas survives in Gaza, it is only a matter of time until the next massacre,” Netanyahu said, according to the outlet.
KRAR AZA, ISRAEL – NOVEMBER 27: In this handout image provided by the GPO, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) takes Elon Musk (L) on a tour of Kibbutz Kfar Aza after the October 7th Massacre took place there, on November 27, 2023 in Kfar Aza, Israel. Billionaire and boss of the social network X, Elon Musk, travelled to Israel during the truce between Israel and Hamas. Musk is due to speak with Israeli President Isaac Herzog about the online fight against anti-Semitism. (Photo by Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO) Handout via Getty Images)
HERZLIYA, ISRAEL – DECEMBER 8: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the funeral for First Sergeant Major Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25 years old, at the Herzliya cemetery on December 8, 2023 in Herzliya, Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said the 25-year-old major, son of the cabinet minister and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, died on Thursday in Gaza. Over two months have passed since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that sparked a retaliatory ground and air campaign by Israel in Gaza. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – JANUARY 27: Protesters hold signs and flags during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government on January 27, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel. According to Israel, 132 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza since the October 7 attack. As the conflict between Israel-Hamas conflict rages on, the IDF focused the military offensive on Khan Younes, now the epicenter of the clashes in southern Gaza. For their part, families of hostages in Israel are urging the Netanyahu government to accept an agreement with Hamas to ensure their release. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
“From what I saw, even you would say no,” the prime minister told one reporter who pressed him about Hamas’ offer, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The video of Netanyahu’s full address and his back-and-forth session with reporters in Hebrew was tweeted out by the Prime Minister’s Hebrew account.
הצטרפו לשידור החי: ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו מקיים מסיבת עיתונאים, ממשרד ראש הממשלה בירושלים.
לצפייה בשידור מונגש לשפת הסימנים: https://t.co/okaNGkkffu https://t.co/zYafQ3KWqE
— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) February 7, 2024
The proposal itself was to be a 135-day ceasefire during which a full prisoner swap would take place where Israel would release 1,500 jailed Palestinian in exchange for Israeli hostages and allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, according to a draft, Reuters reported. The ceasefire period would also witness the total withdrawal of all Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, the lifting of Israel’s years-long naval blockade on Gaza, and the reconstruction of Gaza, the draft detailed, according to the outlet. (RELATED: IDF Released Video Of Tunnel Complex It Says Was Used To House Senior Hamas Members And Hostages)
US President Joe Biden (L) meets with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. US President Joe Biden landed in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023 as Middle East anger flared after hundreds were killed when a rocket struck a hospital in war-torn Gaza, with Israel and the Palestinians quick to trade blame. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli soldiers take part in a rescue exercise in Upper Galilee near the Lebanon border on February 7, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli army battle tanks roll in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip on February 7, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
A source told The Jerusalem Post the proposal provided no guarantees the ceasefire would be permanent at the onset, instead stipulating that peace negotiations would be required beforehand. The source reportedly said the remaining hostages would not be freed until the demand had been met.
Netanyahu dubbed these measures a surrender “to the delusional demands of Hamas” he said would “not lead to the release of the hostages” but would “only invite another massacre,” the outlet reported.
Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas’s spokesman, told Reuters that Netanyahu’s speech was “political bravado” that only conveyed the leader’s intention to continue the war and damage regional stability.