Netanyahu says Israel 'cannot accept' Hamas demand of ending Gaza war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected Palestinian militant group Hamas's demand to end the war in Gaza in order to reach a ceasefire deal.
"The State of Israel cannot accept this," he said. "We are not ready to accept a situation in which the Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threaten the citizens of Israel," Netanyahu told the cabinet, according to a statement by his office.
In Cairo, Hamas leaders held a second day of truce talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with no apparent progress reported as the group maintained its demand that any agreement must end the war in Gaza, Palestinian officials said.
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The war began after an assault by Hamas on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 252 hostages taken, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's ensuring military offensive has killed more than 34,600 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled Gaza. The bombardment has devastated much of the coastal enclave and caused a humanitarian crisis.
