Netanyahu emphasizes that the truce proposal accepted by Hamas is "very far" from Israel's demands

Gantz affirms that they will continue the fighting in Rafá "as long as necessary"

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, asserted this Tuesday that the truce proposal formulated by Qatar and Egypt, and accepted the day before by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), is "very far" from satisfying the demands of the Israeli side, which is why they did not agree to sign a ceasefire and the Army broke into the Rafá border crossing hours later, in the south of the Strip.

"Yesterday's proposal by Hamas was intended to torpedo the entry of our forces into Rafah. It did not happen. As the War Cabinet unanimously determined, Hamas' proposal is very far from the necessary requirements for Israel," Prime Minister Netanyahu said during a speech.

According to Netanyahu, Israel will not accept any proposal that "jeopardizes the security" of its citizens and "the future" of the country. In this regard, he has reported that he has instructed Israeli negotiators in Cairo to "remain firm on the necessary conditions" and ensure that the country's security is guaranteed.

Thus, the Israeli president has defended that the operations in Rafah have the objective of both ending Hamas and guaranteeing the return home of the Israeli hostages captured by the Palestinian militias on October 7, the date on which the current violence broke out. war in the Middle East.

"We have already demonstrated it in the previous release of the hostages: military pressure on Hamas is a necessary condition to protect the return of our hostages (...) Israel will not allow Hamas to reestablish its evil government in the Gaza Strip, Israel will not allow its military capabilities to be reestablished to continue fighting for our destruction," he said.

In this context, the Israeli president has asserted that the seizure of the Rafah crossing is important in order to achieve "the destruction of Hamas' remaining military capabilities," including its battalions in the city. "This morning we denied Hamas a step that was essential to establish its reign of terror in the Strip," he stressed.

Hamas announced on Monday that it accepted the terms of a ceasefire agreement proposed by Qatar and Egypt, although Israeli authorities later did not agree to seal the agreement because they considered that it did not meet their demands. Hours after these events, the Israeli Army took the Rafah crossing, in the south of the Strip.

For his part, the minister of the war cabinet and one of the main figures of the Israeli opposition, Benny Gantz, has stressed that after this first start of the operation on Rafah, the Israeli Army "will continue and expand" the fighting "as much as possible." be necessary".

After Netanyahu, Gantz addressed public opinion in a speech in which he "encouraged" all soldiers of the Israeli Army to continue as before, convinced, he said, "that they will fulfill their mission."

At the same time, he has reaffirmed that the "top priority" continues to be bringing back the hostages who remain in Hamas captivity, although he has reminded the negotiating team that was in Cairo that their obligation is not only to "listen" but also "turn over every stone" to achieve an agreement satisfactory to Israel.

"We are all working to make this happen, day by day," said Gantz, reproaching those in the opposition who have been able to use this issue for partisan purposes. "We will never allow political considerations to be introduced into this sacred issue," he stressed.

"Our achievements, even if they take a long time to achieve, must be strategic, and the return of our hostages is the first objective, along with the need to eliminate the Hamas threat and ensure that it does not re-emerge," he concluded.