Netanyahu claims ceasefire success but Israeli public sees PM as ‘in the way of many deals’
Netanyahu has released a flurry of statements in the last couple of hours, saying that it’s because of Israel’s military pressure. It’s because of Israel’s continuous military activity. It’s because of the objectives that Netanyahu had outlined at the beginning of the war; that’s why they reached this point.
But the reality on the ground shows a much different story.
Most of the captives who were released from the Gaza Strip were done through diplomatic means, through these ceasefire deals or through direct negotiations with the Americans. It wasn’t really due to these advanced military operations that the army and the government alike were touting.
Netanyahu is not just under pressure internationally but domestically from the family members of those captives who have been held for two years and a day, and who have been advocating for their release every week – protesting, taking to the streets, saying they have no faith in their own leadership.
If you look on social media and if you see the statements from their family members, if you see anything relating to the captives and their families from the last week or so, it’s all been thanks to President Trump. It’s all thanks to the US envoy, Steve Witkoff.
There has been no praise or thanks to the prime minister because this is a population that believes Netanyahu got in the way of many deals, like back in July of 2024, when mediators said they were at the finish line. But at the 11th hour, Netanyahu decided to insert new conditions and essentially reneged on the entire ceasefire agreement.
Trump says Gaza ‘will be rebuilt’ after first phase of truce deal
Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump said that after phase one of the peace deal is complete, “you’ll see people getting along and Gaza will be rebuilt”.
The US leader added that it’s going to be a “different world” and that there will be “wealth spent in Gaza”.
“Gaza, we believe, is going to be a much safer place, and it’s going to be a place that reconstructs, and other countries in the area will help it reconstruct because they have tremendous amounts of wealth, and they want to see that happen,” Trump said.
“I’m very confident there’ll be peace in the Middle East,” he added.
Netanyahu to present ceasefire deal to gov’t that ‘will have to pass no matter what’
In a few hours time, the Israeli government is going to convene and they are going to vote on this ceasefire agreement.
After they vote, the Israeli military will then withdraw to one of those lines that were presented in the map that President Trump posted on his social media.
Then, 72 hours after that, the captives are going to be released by Hamas. We are hearing from the Americans that it could take place on Monday.
President Trump has been talking about Israel’s international isolation, about how they’ve become a pariah state. But they are not just isolated on a political level; it is also economic. It is also through cultural forums. It’s also a lot of different spaces in the world.
So Netanyahu might not have a choice when he presents this to his government, meaning that it will have to pass, no matter what is at stake within the Israeli government.
Even if it’s at risk of collapsing because of the right-wing coalition – the right-wing lawmakers and partners that Netanyahu has, and who could potentially jump ship if they are not happy with the terms of this deal.
