Jerusalem will not commit to ending the war in Gaza until Hamas releases all of the hostages held by the terrorist group, according to a senior Israeli official.
The official told the Ynet website that the captives must be freed in the first and second phases of the proposed ceasefire agreement approved by the United Nations Security Council on June 10.
The U.S.-drafted resolution is aimed at reaching a three-phase ceasefire deal to end the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Noting that Israel has accepted the ceasefire proposal, the resolution calls for Hamas to do the same, and for both sides to “implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
However, the official noted that “Hamas made substantial changes to dozens of items in the outline” originally presented by the U.S. late last month.
The terror group is demanding an end to the war and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Jerusalem’s war goals still stand—the defeat of Hamas as a military and governing power in Gaza, the return of all of the hostages and ensuring that Gaza can never again threaten Israel.
More than 250 people were abducted to Gaza during Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion of the northwestern Negev, during which thousands more were killed and wounded, with numerous atrocities documented.
One-hundred and twenty hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 116 were abducted on Oct. 7. (the other four were captured earlier). The figure includes both living and deceased hostages.
“The mediators should focus on advancing negotiations based on the outline accepted by the U.N. Security Council and the American president,” the official said.
“There can be no negotiations over any other proposal, which Israel has already approved. The proposal includes two critical components: a ceasefire and an end to the war, and they must be agreed upon through this specific proposal.”
The official cited Hamas’s violations of past agreements as the reason Israel will not commit to ending the war prematurely.
“To ensure the agreement leads to the release of all hostages, including men and the bodies of the deceased in the second phase, leverage must be maintained on both sides,” he said.
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