'Will Not Withdraw or Release Terrorists': Israeli PM Rejects 2 Key Hamas Demands for Gaza Ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected two key demands Hamas has made during indirect ceasefire talks, saying the country will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip or release thousands of jailed Palestinian militants.

During an event in the West Bank, Netanyahu Tuesday again promised that the war would not end without Israel’s “absolute victory” over Hamas. “We will not withdraw the IDF from the Gaza Strip and we will not release thousands of terrorists. None of this will happen. What will happen? Total victory!” Prime Minister’s office said in a statement on Monday.

“I hear talk about all kinds of deals. I would like to make it clear: We will not conclude this war without achieving all of its goals. This means eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.

“I am committed to it. Our fighters are committed to it and the overwhelming majority of the people is committed to it. We will not compromise on anything less than total victory,” he added This statement comes as Israeli forces working undercover killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the West Bank, where violence has surged since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

The Israeli military said forces entered the Ibn Sina hospital in the northern city of Jenin early Tuesday and shot the three men, whom Hamas claimed as members. The military said the men were using the hospital as a hideout and that at least one was planning an attack.

Read More: Israeli Undercover Forces Dressed as Women, Medics Storm West Bank Hospital, Killing 3 Militants | On Cam

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli forces opened fire inside the hospital’s wards and called on the international community to stop Israeli operations in hospitals. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. The October 7 attack in southern Israel that sparked the war killed 1,200 people, and about 250 people were taken hostage.

(With agency inputs)