Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the prospect of a cease-fire with Hamas being agreed soon, blaming the militant group for stalling talks.
“Hamas is not there with a deal,” he said to Fox News on Thursday. “Unfortunately, it’s not close.”
The two sides have been negotiating for months over a deal to pause fighting in Gaza and get Hamas to release more hostages it’s holding in the Palestinian territory. The U.S. is mediating along with Qatar and Egypt.
Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages over the weekend who it said were executed by Hamas shortly before. That prompted tens of thousands of Israelis to protest on the streets and to go on strike, with many of them blaming their government for not making an earlier deal with Hamas.
“I have red lines,” Netanyahu said. “They were set before this massacre, this latest murder. But they’ve become redder. I have areas of flexibility; I’ve given them to my negotiating team and I stand by them.”
He was especially angry at the idea that the killing of the six hostages should lead to more flexibility.
“To go and make concessions after these murders?” he asked. “It’s a license to kill hostages. That’s what Hamas will understand. Kill hostages, get concessions.”
Hamas, in a statement on Thursday, reiterated that Israeli forces must withdraw from the border between Gaza and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi corridor. Netanyahu says doing that will allow for arms to be smuggled from Egypt into Hamas’ hands.
The Philadelphi corridor has emerged as a key sticking point between Iran-backed Hamas and Israel in recent weeks. Still, Netanyahu emphasized it’s not the only one.
Israel and Hamas are yet to agree how many hostages will be released from Gaza in the first phase of a deal, as well as how many Palestinians will be freed from Israeli jails.
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostage when its fighters swarmed into southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
There are now around 100 hostages left, though Israeli officials have said many of them are probably dead.
“Hamas has consistently said no,” Netanyahu said. “They don’t agree to anything.”
