Israeli Prime Minister warns of more pressure on Hamas

“Unfortunately, all of our proposals to release the hostages have been flatly rejected by Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a statement on April 21. The Israeli leader’s remarks came after anti-government protests calling for new elections and demanding that the government do more to reach a new hostage deal.

Some 129 people are believed to be still being held in Gaza. However, negotiations over the fate of the hostages have stalled amid Hamas’ demands for a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces. Netanyahu has dismissed these proposals as “illusory”.

“Instead of withdrawing from its extremist stance, Hamas has created divisions among us. This has increased the pressure on the Israeli government. As a result, Hamas has tightened the conditions for the release of our hostages. Therefore, we will inflict more painful blows on Hamas and that will happen soon,” Netanyahu said.

According to the Israeli leader, in the coming days, Tel Aviv will increase military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas because this is the only way to free the hostages and win.

Mr Netanyahu insisted that Israel could not achieve its goal of “total victory” without launching an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have been sheltering since the start of the conflict.

The possibility of an attack on the densely populated city has raised alarm in the international community, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning this week of “terrible consequences” if Israel goes ahead with the plan.