WEST BANK: Hamas said on Tuesday it was weighing up a new ceasefire proposal in the war with Israel in Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces would not withdraw from the enclave until they had achieved “total victory”.
In Gaza itself, clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters in the north of the enclave forced more Palestinian residents to flee to safer areas, and southern parts of the coastal enclave were hit by Israeli air strikes overnight.
The ceasefire proposal followed talks in Paris involving CIA Director William Burns, Qatar’s prime minister, the chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and the head of Egyptian intelligence.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he was studying the plan and would go to Cairo to discuss it. He said the priority for the Palestinian militant group was to end the Israeli offensive now in its fourth month – and secure a full pull-out of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Netanyahu, speaking during a visit to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, said: “We will not compromise on anything less than total victory.”
Israel will achieve all its objectives, he said, adding: “That means eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.” Until then no Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli jails, Netanyahu said.