Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday rejected a new wave of pressure to accept a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike.
In his first public address since mass protests on Sunday sparked an angry reaction from many Israelis to the discovery of six more dead hostages, Netanyahu said he would press ahead with a demand that has become a sticking point in the talks: control of the Philadelphia corridor, a narrow strip of Gaza’s border with Egypt that Israel says is used by Hamas to smuggle weapons into Gaza. Egypt and Hamas deny this.
Netanyahu said the corridor was important to ensure that Hamas could not rearm through the tunnels. “This is Hamas’ oxygen,” he said.
“No one is more committed to the release of the hostages than I am,” he said. “But no one is going to lecture me about it.”
Israelis took to the streets in grief and anger on Sunday night in what appeared to be the largest protest since the war began. Families and much of the public blamed Netanyahu, saying the hostages could have been returned alive in a deal with Hamas. A general strike was held across the country on Monday.
In the evening, several thousand protesters gathered outside Netanyahu’s private home in central Jerusalem, where they carried “Deal, now” slogans and coffins draped with Israeli flags. As police removed the coffins, a scuffle broke out and several protesters were arrested. According to Israeli media, thousands of people demonstrated outside the headquarters of Netanyahu’s Likud party in Tel Aviv.
But others support Netanyahu’s strategy of continuing the offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. Netanyahu said the attack would force the militants to give in to Israel’s demands, possibly facilitate a rescue operation and eventually destroy the group.
But his main ally, the United States, is showing impatience. US President Joe Biden spoke to reporters on Monday as he entered the White House to meet with advisers involved in the deal negotiations. Asked if Netanyahu had enough to do, Biden replied: “No.”
He stressed that negotiators must be “very close” to an agreement. “Hope is the last thing to be lost,” he said.
Hamas has accused Israel of stalling ceasefire talks for months by offering new demands, including continued Israeli control of two strategic corridors in Gaza. Hamas has offered to release all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including fighters — broadly the terms required in the brief agreement proposed by Biden in July.
Netanyahu has vowed a “total victory” against Hamas and blamed Palestinian militias for the failure of negotiations. On Monday he said he was ready to implement the first phase of the ceasefire, which would include the release of some hostages, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of some prisoners held by Israel. But he rejected a complete withdrawal from Gaza and said he does not see any other party controlling Gaza’s borders.
Israeli media have reported deep disagreements between Netanyahu and senior security officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who believe the time has come for a ceasefire.
An official at a security cabinet meeting on Thursday confirmed a shouting match between Gallan and Netanyahu, in which Netanyahu voted to retain control of the Philadelphia Corridor.
Gallant cast the lone vote against the proposal, saying Netanyahu favors border regulation over the lives of hostages. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Gallant on Sunday called on the security cabinet to reverse the decision.
Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya told Qatari television on Sunday night that Netanyahu considers holding the Philadelphia corridor “more important” than freeing the hostages.
Al-Hayya also said Hamas had offered “great flexibility,” including lowering its demand for the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for just 50 for each captured Israeli soldier, and from 250 Palestinian prisoners to 30 for each Israeli civilian hostage. He accused Israel of introducing new conditions, including increasing the number of prisoners to be deported after their release and banning the release of elderly and sick prisoners who have been sentenced to life in prison.
Israel said the six hostages whose bodies were found in Gaza were killed by Hamas shortly before Israeli forces reached the tunnel where they were being held.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, revealed in a statement on Monday that it now has a policy of killing any Israeli captive it attempts to rescue. After Israeli forces rescued four hostages in a deadly attack in June, Hamas issued new instructions to militants guarding the captives on what to do if Israeli forces approached. It said Netanyahu’s insistence on using military pressure instead of reaching a deal “will mean that (the hostages) return to their families in coffins.”
