The prospect of a deal to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas appeared to recede on Sunday after a Hamas official said Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of their conditions meant there was “no chance” of their return.
Netanyahu had earlier dismissed the militant group’s conditions to end the war, which he said included leaving Hamas in power and Israel’s complete withdrawal from the territory.
A Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters the Israeli prime minister’s refusal to end the military offensive in Gaza “means there is no chance for the return of the [Israeli] captives”, which are estimated to be 130 in number.
Netanyahu is facing mounting pressure to secure the release the hostages, but said in a statement that the Hamas demands included “the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all the murderers and rapists … and leaving Hamas intact.”
“I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas,” he added.
On Sunday evening, family members of hostages began a protest outside Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home in Jerusalem. Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the protesters would remain until “the prime minister agrees to a deal to return the hostages”.
In a separate statement, the advocacy group demanded that Netanyahu “clearly state that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers, and others kidnapped in the October debacle”.
“If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public.”
Under a deal brokered in late November by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, more than 100 of the estimated 240 hostages taken captive to Gaza during an attack by Hamas militants on 7 October were freed in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Since then, multiple attempts to secure another ceasefire have failed.
Netanyahu has repeatedly pledged to pursue the offensive in Gaza until “total victory”, but commentators in Israel have questioned the conduct of the war, arguing that the offensive’s goals are unrealistic, accusing the Israeli prime minister of indecision.
In his statement on Sunday, Netanyahu also repeated his strong line on the issue of Palestinian statehood. “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River,” he said.
On Saturday, Netanyahu rejected Joe Biden’s call for a Palestinian state after the war. His office said that in talks on Friday with the US president, Netanyahu “reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty”.
On Sunday, Gaza’s health ministry announced that Israel’s war against Hamas had killed 25,000 Palestinians, with UN chief António Guterres describing the scale of civilian killings as “heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable”.
Most of the casualties were women and children, the ministry said, and thousands more bodies were likely to remain uncounted under rubble across Gaza.
Speaking at a global summit in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, Guterres denounced Israel’s three-month assault.
“Israel’s military operations have spread mass destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary general,” Guterres said at the opening of the G77+China, a coalition of 135 developing countries.
Reuters contributed to this report
