Gaza: Doubts were growing about a plan for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal outlined by US President Joe Biden as heavy fighting raged for a third day.
Biden presented what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the bloody conflict, free all hostages and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in power.
However, Netanyahu’s office stressed that Israel would push on with the conflict until all of its “goals are achieved” including the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
Israeli media have questioned to what extent Biden’s speech and some crucial details were coordinated with Netanyahu’s team, including how long any truce would hold and how many captives would be freed when.
Israel’s top Gaza priority is destroying Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, adding that it would be pursued along with hostage recovery and that both goals were in a plan to wind down the offensive approved at the highest level of his government, Reuters reports.
“This is not something that I am adding now. This is not something that I am adding because I am under pressure within the coalition. It is something we agreed on unanimously in the war cabinet,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on Israel to agree to a recently unveiled ceasefire plan and send a delegation to Cairo today to hammer out the details.
In a post on X, Lapid reiterated to PM Netanyahu, whose right-wing coalition allies have threatened to collapse the government if the plan goes ahead, that he would step in and provide the government with a “political safety net” to save the deal.
