New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel is open to negotiating a permanent ceasefire in Gaza during the proposed 60-day truce, but only on the condition that the territory is demilitarised. Indirect negotiations between the Israel and Hamas delegations began in Doha on Sunday, seeking to establish a temporary pause in the ongoing war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 assault.
At the beginning of this ceasefire, we will enter negotiations for a permanent end to the war, as stated by Netanyahu in a video message from Washington. The fundamental conditions put forward by Israel were that Hamas lays down its weapons, and does not have governing or military capabilities any longer. If this can be achieved through the negotiations, great. If it cannot be achieved through talks within the 60 days, we will achieve it through other means, by using force, the force of our heroic army, Netanyahu added.
Steve Witkoff, the United States Middle East envoy, has proposed a 60-day ceasefire in return for the release of half of the 20 living hostages still held in Gaza. Netanyahu informed the families of the hostages that Hamas would decide which hostages would be released during the 60-day truce.
Netanyahu stated, “We will do everything to maximise our performance in this round, in the best way possible.” Not everything is in our hands. Hamas announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to release 10 living hostages, but by Thursday, it expressed opposition to any deal involving a significant Israeli military presence in Gaza.
Hamas has also demanded guarantees for lasting peace and a free flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory of Gaza. Israel has expressed their interest in maintaining their troops in the southern corridor of the Gaza Strip, which Israel calls the Morg corridor.
