Israel’s Gallant says returning captives, not Hamas’s defeat, should be priority
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has warned that Israel is unlikely to get back the remaining captives in Gaza if it prioritises destroying Hamas.
“I am the last one to oppose the complete destruction of Hamas, but if we destroy Hamas before bringing back the hostages, we simply won’t have any hostages left to return,” Gallant told an Anti-Defamation League event in New York, according to Israel’s Ynet News site.
“First and foremost, we must bring back the hostages, and then we will continue to destroy Hamas until its complete demise,” he said.
Gallant, who was fired from the cabinet by Netanyahu in November, also addressed the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him, calling it “institutionalised anti-Semitism”.
“I’m proud to be criticised by the International Criminal Court and others for defending the State of Israel,” he said.
Israel does not want to discuss the day-after situation
The ceasefire situation is confusing especially for the people who have so much riding on it to continue.
We have Israel saying it accepted a proposal by the US envoy which basically extends phase one and that’s what Netanyahu wanted. There, Hamas would release half of the captives. In exchange, Israel won’t bombard Gaza and it would allow the much-needed humanitarian aid to come through. By the end of this 42-day period, the remaining captives would be released.
The problem as far as Hamas and the families of Israeli captives are concerned is that this is a departure from the original agreement that was signed. Israel does not want to discuss the day-after situation. It says Hamas must not be in Gaza by the end of the ceasefire and it won’t declare an end to the war as long as Hamas has any force in Gaza.
Israel ready to proceed to stage two of ceasefire: Foreign minister
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says the government is prepared to move to stage two of the ceasefire agreement, which includes Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all live captives.
However, in remarks cited by the Reuters news agency, he said there would have to be a captive-release agreement before advancing to this stage.
Saar’s statement seems to run counter to the position outlined just days ago by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said Israel sought a six-week extension of phase one of the ceasefire, rather than moving to phase two.
Israel’s foreign minister says Gaza must fully demilitarise before stage two
We can now bring you more from Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, he said Israel’s conditions for proceeding to stage two of the ceasefire are Gaza’s full demilitarisation and the return of captives.
“We don’t have an agreement on phase two,” said Saar. “We demand total demilitarisation of Gaza – Hamas and Islamic Jihad out – and give us our hostages. If they agree to that we can implement tomorrow.”
Ahh, just put up some impossible demand to make sure Stage 2 can't happen...
Hamas leader says disarming ‘a red line’
Following the Israeli foreign minister’s demand of a total demilitarisation in Gaza before the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire, Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told the AFP news agency that disarming is a red line for the group, as well as other Palestinian groups.
“Any talk about the resistance’s weapons is nonsense. The resistance’s weapons are a red line for Hamas and all resistance factions,” Abu Zuhri.
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