- Netanyahu rejected the demands of Hamas, which included ending the war and withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza.
- He has also rejected the release of the last prisoners detained in Gaza.
- Netanyahu and the Biden administration disagreed as he strengthened his stance against the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the demands of Hamas, which included ending the war and withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza, in favor of keeping Hamas in power.
He also opposed the two-state option, which the US supported, which strained relations with the Biden administration.
Israel-Gaza War
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has rejected Hamas’ demands for the release of the last prisoners detained in Gaza, claiming that keeping them there would deal a “mortal blow to Israel‘s security.”
He claimed that the only way to guarantee Hamas’ destruction and the release of every hostage was to achieve complete victory. This highlights the extent of devastation in the enclave, as the Gaza Health Ministry revealed that the death toll in the Strip had surpassed 25,000.
Netanyahu and the Biden administration disagreed as he strengthened his stance against the establishment of a Palestinian state. Demilitarizing Gaza and keeping it under Israel’s “full security control” following the conflict, he claimed.
Pressure is coming from the US, Qatar, and Egypt on Israel and Hamas to accept a compromise that would see the release of all hostages before the final evacuation of Israeli troops from Gaza and the end of hostilities.
As part of a deal mediated by Qatar, Hamas freed over 100 hostages in November in exchange for a seven-day ceasefire and the release of over 200 Palestinians detained by Israel. There is reportedly still a comparable number of captives being held captive in Gaza.
After two Navy SEALs went missing at sea while on a mission to intercept Iranian weaponry headed for extremists in Yemen, the U.S. military has concluded its search for them. On January 11, during a risky nighttime operation in the Arabian Sea close to Somalia’s coast—a region notorious for piracy and weapon smuggling—the SEALs vanished.
