Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is often criticized for pursuing his political career, has been accused of not wanting to stop the attacks on Gaza. However, with hopes for a ceasefire and prisoner swap in Gaza rising recently, Netanyahu has made new demands to accept the deal.
Netanyahu has long emphasized that attacks on Gaza will continue without achieving his goals, such as the destruction of Hamas and the return of all prisoners. When negotiations resumed between Israel and Hamas last week, Netanyahu laid out his new demands. The most notable of these demands was the situation on Gaza’s border with Egypt and the Rafah Border Crossing.
- Philadelphia Corridor:Netanyahu called for the continuation of the Israeli occupation of Gaza’s border with Egypt and for the Palestinian side of the Rafah Border Crossing to be controlled by Israeli forces.
- Return of Hamas Members:Even if there is a ceasefire, Netanyahu has said he opposes the return of Hamas members to northern Gaza.
- Ceasefire and Prisoner Exchange Agreement:Netanyahu demanded that the ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement in Gaza guarantee Israel’s right to resume attacks on Gaza until it achieves its war aims.
These demands were raised by Netanyahu, who asked, “Is the Israeli Prime Minister trying to make prisoner exchange difficult?” An Israeli official stated that Netanyahu was demanding what he wanted to achieve in the negotiations by exploiting Hamas’ weakness, and that going too far increased the risk of the negotiations collapsing.
