Netanyahu, Israeli public at odds over Gaza hostage deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference Wednesday in English to foreign press, clarifying his position regarding negotiations on a deal with Hamas that aims to secure a cease-fire in Gaza. He also addressed the return of the Israeli hostages held by the militant Islamist group.

Netanyahu accused Hamas of rejecting all elements of a proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza that would lead to the release of hostages.

"Hamas has rejected everything... I hope that changes because I want those hostages out," Netanyahu said. "We're trying to find some area to begin the negotiations."

But a report published by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth — citing a document it said it obtained — shows that Netanyahu relayed a list of new demands in late July to international mediators.

The new conditions were reportedly added at the very last minute before talks on a cease-fire were due to begin. These were added to a set of demands Netanyahu had made in late May, according to the report.

Netanyahu doubles down on control of Philadelphi corridor 

The focal point of the current negotiations to end nearly 11 months of war is the so-called Philadelphi corridor, the border area between the Gaza Strip, Egypt and Israel.

Netanyahu said that if the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were to leave the corridor, it would mean giving in to Hamas' demands. The prime minister insisted that he is not willing to give up on the Israeli presence there. Israel, the US, Germany, the EU and others designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.

For its part, Hamas has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from the area as part of the stalled talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

Israeli media reports suggest the country would be willing to leave the Philadelphi corridor as part of a multi-phase truce deal, with the condition that it happen in the second phase of the deal, whereas Hamas wants it to happen in the first phase.

Many Israelis back Philadelphi withdrawal

The Israeli prime minister said that leaving the corridor would mean reducing the pressure on Hamas, adding that the Israeli presence in the corridor will not end until a mechanism is found to make sure the region does not become a way for Hamas to rearm by smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip.

"Bring me anyone who will actually show us ... that they can actually prevent the recurrence" of smuggling, he said. "I don't see that happening right now. And until that happens, we're there."

Support for Netanyahu's plans to keep Israel's presence at the corridor appeared to have waned. An opinion poll by Israeli public broadcaster Kan showed the Israeli public at odds with the prime minister's views.

According to the poll, some 53% of the public believes Israel should leave the corridor if it would deliver a deal to bring the hostages home, and 29% said they think Israel should keep its presence there even at the cost of not reaching a deal.

The same poll also showed that Israelis' trust in Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Galant, in running the war has diminished.

Some 61% of those polled said they do not trust Netanyahu in managing the war in Gaza, while 50% said similarly of Galant.

Anger over the safety of hostages

Netanyahu said maintaining pressure on Hamas was the best way to return the 101 hostages still remaining in Gaza.

"You need to squeeze them, to put pressure on them to release the remaining hostages. So if you want to release the hostages, you've got to control the Philadelphi corridor," he said.

But the families of many hostages, including those of some of the six whose bodies were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza on Sunday, have accused Netanyahu of sacrificing their loved ones in order to keep Israeli troops in the corridor.

After the bodies of six Israeli hostages were found in Rafah, with the Israeli Health Ministry saying they were all shot, Israel has seen a wave of protests calling for the government to sign a deal with Hamas.

Many protesters blame Netanyahu for not reaching a deal for purely political reasons. They accuse him of prioritizing the survival of his own coalition, for which he is dependent on far-right politicians such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who vehemently object to a cease-fire that they call a "reckless deal."

In his press conference to Israeli media in Hebrew, Netanyahu rejected those claims.

ft/jcg (Reuters, AP)