PM: Cabinet voted for more pressure from the FDI on Hamas; Israel to manage Gaza’s safety when Hamas left

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ministers had voted overnight to increase military pressure on Hamas, saying that the methods “worked” to conclude an agreement with the free hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

“It works because it acts simultaneously,” he said at the start of the cabinet’s weekly meeting in Jerusalem. “On the one hand, it crushes the military and government capacities of Hamas, and on the other hand, this creates the conditions for the release of our hostages.”

The security cabinet voted last night to increase the pressure on Hamas, said the Prime Minister. The vote was held while massive national demonstrations continue against the policies of his government on the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

According to what he said, three “false complaints” of Hamas concerning Israel’s negotiation posture, Netanyahu said, first, that contrary to Hamas’ assertions, Israel continues to negotiate, but that it was done “under fire”, which, according to him, makes more effective. “We see that there are suddenly cracks,” he said, although Hamas has not yet accepted Israel’s requests for a new prolonged ceasefire.

According to media reports, Hamas had accepted an Egyptian proposal to release five living hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire in Gaza. According to several media reports, this does not respond to the requests of Israel, which defines the return of 10 or 11 living hostages to take over the truce, on the basis of a previous proposal from the American Midest, Steve Witkoff.

Israel confirmed on Saturday that he had received the proposal from the mediating countries and sent a counterpoppea “in full coordination with the United States”.

Israel is also willing to speak of the “final scene” of a hostage release agreement with Hamas, insisted Netanyahu, containing what he called the second Hamas lying on negotiations.

The Prime Minister had previously refused to enter the talks during the second phase of a cease-fire agreement concluded in January, which would involve discussing the end of the war. Instead, he pressure for an extension of the first phase of the agreement. Hamas refused and Israel has renewed intensive military operations in Gaza on March 18.

“We are ready,” Netanyahu said on Sunday. “Hamas will put its weapons. Its leaders will be authorized to leave (Gaza). We will take care of general security in the Gaza Strip and allow the implementation of the Trump plan, the voluntary immigration plan. ”

“This is the plan. We are not hiding it, ”he continued.

Israel “is ready to discuss it at any time,” he said, referring to the litigious plan of the American president, who triggered world indignation after Trump suggested that the United States “takes over” Gaza and transform it into “Riviera du Middle East”, forcing its Palestinian inhabitants to move to Egypt, Jordan or other countries.

The third lie of Hamas, according to Netanyahu, was that he does not care about the hostages: “This is what Hamas puts in its propaganda films in order to create a division in us,” he said.

He said that Israel is “determined to bring back the hostages” and said that the combination of military and diplomatic pressure is the only thing that worked, and “all the empty claims and slogans that I hear in the experts (TV) of the experts”.

The renewal of military operations in Gaza aroused fears among the hostage families that the life of their loved ones will be in increased danger, because certain captives have been killed in captivity by strikes, or by their kidnappers when the troops seemed to approach their location.

Addressing attacks prohibited in Lebanon, Netanyahu said that Israel “respects” Lebanon and its armed forces: “Therefore, we demand from them things you demand from someone you respect.”

“Lebanon is responsible for what comes out of its territory, and it must ensure that … no attack on Israel comes out of its territory,” said Netanyahu, seeking recent rocket fire during last week.

He also thanked the United States for making strikes against Houthis supported by Iran in Yemen, calling it “a big change”.

On March 15, the United States launched a new air strike campaign against the rebellious group after threatening to resume attacks against “any Israeli ship” in neighboring sea roads in response to Israel stifling the flow of aid to Gaza.

Although former American president Joe Biden also made strikes against the Houthis during his mandate, the campaign was more limited and targeted mainly on launch sites. Under Trump, American fighter planes and drones began to bomb high -ranking Houth staff and denser city districts.

“We still appreciate alliances,” said Netanyahu. “We have an alliance with the greatest power in the world, and he is behind us there and in other unreserved arenas, and with the full appreciation of citizens and the government of Israel.”