Netanyahu says he is ready to stop fighting in Gaza for 6 weeks
But there is no talk of ending the war: ‘Iran and all our enemies are watching us to see if we will surrender’
Israel is ready to suspend hostilities in the Gaza Strip for six weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
‘Israel can stop fighting for 42 days to return prisoners. But we cannot stop the war. Iran and all our enemies are watching us, wanting to see if we will surrender,’ Channel 12 quoted Netanyahu as saying.
The day before, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister Ophir Falk said that Israel had accepted US President Joe Biden's proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, although he considered the US president's plan imperfect.
According to him, Israel has accepted the agreement, but the conditions for a complete ceasefire have not changed. They include the complete release of all hostages and the destruction of the Hamas terrorist group.
Biden proposed a plan to resolve the conflict after Israel used US bombs to launch an air strike on Rafah.
The US president's proposal includes three stages of de-escalation in the Gaza Strip. The first stage, which will last for six weeks, includes a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from settlements in the Gaza Strip, and the return of a number of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The second stage envisages a complete cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and the return of all hostages to Israel.
The third stage would see the full reconstruction of the region with US support.
In early May, the Israeli army launched a ground operation in Rafah. The IDF announced that it would carry out ‘targeted strikes’ against targets in the eastern part of the city and destroy Hamas infrastructure and underground tunnels.
The Israeli authorities explained the need for the operation in Rafah by the fact that four of the six surviving Hamas battalions are hiding there, as well as Israeli hostages abducted during the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October.
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