Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2025-07-03 18:48:17
JERUSALEM, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Hamas would have no role in postwar Gaza, as the Palestinian group said it was reviewing a new ceasefire proposal announced by Washington.
"We will eliminate Hamas down to its very foundations," Netanyahu said in a speech in southern Israel on Wednesday. "There will not be a Hamas ... We are not going back to that. It's over."
He also pledged to secure the release of all remaining hostages. About 50 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, with Israel estimating that around 20 are still alive.
Neither Israel nor Hamas has formally accepted the new ceasefire proposal announced on Tuesday by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform.
"Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60-day ceasefire, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war," Trump said, adding that Qatari and Egyptian mediators would deliver what he called a "final" offer to both sides.
The details of the proposal were not immediately clear, but an Israeli diplomatic official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua on Thursday that it includes a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages, and talks on a permanent ceasefire would begin.
Israel has indicated cautious optimism. "We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Wednesday during a visit to Tallinn, Estonia. "There are some positive signs. I don't want to say more than that right now. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible," he said in a statement released by his office.
In a statement, Hamas said it was holding consultations on proposals put forward by mediators to reach an agreement that ensures an end to "Israeli aggression," a withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"The mediators are making intensive efforts to bridge the gap between the parties, reach a framework agreement, and begin a new round of serious negotiations," the group said.
Israel's onslaught in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, after a Hamas-led assault killed about 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped about 250 others. Since then, Israeli air and ground attacks have killed at least 57,012 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza-based health authorities, and caused widespread destruction and starvation across the enclave. ■