Netanyahu thwarted seven Gaza ceasefire deals, Israeli report finds

Israel’s Channel 13 investigative programme HaMoker has reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has obstructed seven ceasefire agreements with Hamas since the war on Gaza began in October 2023.

Senior American and Israeli officials interviewed by HaMoker, said that Netanyahu was chiefly responsible, often bowing to pressure from far-right ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department under President Joe Biden, said that at the start of the war in October 2023, Hamas was ready to release "some hostages".

"We have been trying to get through to the government of Israel to tell them that," Miller said, but added that Washington could not "get anyone in there to take us seriously", referring to the Israeli leadership.

Sources close to the prime minister told a member of the Israeli negotiating team, who spoke to Channel 13, that “there will be no deal here, these are ISIS terrorists, and their end is death".

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defence minister at the time, told HaMakor that he had instructed his subordinates: "No one is talking to Hamas", adding that he wanted the group to "come to us" after the Israeli army "put their heads under the water" so "they won't be able to breathe".

Gadi Eisenkot, who served on the War Cabinet, said the government initially made no effort to secure the captives' release, noting that "in the war's goals, there is not a single word about the captives and their return". He added that the first ceasefire in November 2023 came after Netanyahu and Gallant piled up obstacles.

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