Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu defends Gaza offensive
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel is planning a big shift in the approach to ending the Gaza war. The aim is also to secure the release of hostages from Hamas. Instead of a partial ceasefire agreements, Israel, along with US, now aims for a single, comprehensive deal.
An Israeli official said, according to The Times of Israel, that the new plan would focus on freeing all hostages, disarming Hamas, and demilitarising the Gaza Strip. The plan also includes increasing humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The fighting in Gaza, however, would continue during this process.
US officials, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, had recently said, “No piecemeal deals, that doesn’t work… now we think that we have to shift this negotiation to ‘all or nothing’ — everybody comes home.”
This comes after months of stalled ceasefire talks, amid Israeli strikes on Gaza and Hamas’ continued abuse of hostages.
According to reprots, Israel has stated that around 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza. Additionally, the bodies of 30 others remain there. In a a recent Hamas video, two visibly weak captives were seen. This has now intensified public pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to act.
The new move also follows mounting global criticism over severe hunger in Gaza, where around two million people face food shortages due to Israeli restrictions on aid. Reports suggest Netanyahu and Donald Trump are working on a proposal to present Hamas with an ultimatum: release all hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and agree to disarm. If Hamas refuses, Israel says its military campaign will continue.
Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told The New York Times the group has not yet received a formal proposal but would not agree to disarm. He stated that Hamas wants a full end to the war, prisoner releases, and clear post-war arrangements for Gaza — demands that make a swift agreement unlikely.
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
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