Israel’s prime minister says he “will not surrender to pressure” amid growing calls for him to strike a deal to end the conflict in Gaza.
Speaking in an address to the nation, Benjamin Netanyahu said there are “certain things we won’t compromise on” in ceasefire talks.
Mr Netanyahu said he was “fully committed” to advancing negotiations for a ceasefire but Hamas kept “refusing” any proposal.
The Israeli prime minister, who has been facing intense pressure both at home and abroad over the confirmed death of six more hostages, said Israel would not give up control of the Philadelphi corridor in Gaza, which he described as “Hamas’ lifeline”.
Speaking against a backdrop of some of the largest protests his government has seen since the outbreak of the war in Gaza almost 11 months ago, Mr Netanyahu said Israel “must stand united as one”.
Some half a million people took to the streets of Israel on Sunday to express anger at his government’s failure to secure a ceasefire deal after the six hostages were found dead in an underground tunnel in Gaza on Saturday.
Mr Netanyahu issued an apology to the families of the hostages and asked for forgiveness for failing to return them alive.
He said Hamas would pay a “heavy price” for killing the hostages in “cold blood”.
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Joe Biden said Mr Netanyahu wasn’t doing enough to get a deal for the hostages. Pic: Reuters
The Israeli Health Ministry said post mortem examinations had determined the hostages had been shot at close range and died on Thursday or Friday.
However, Hostage Families Forum, which organised the protests, blamed the Israeli government for the deaths, saying the hostages could have been returned alive if a deal had been struck with Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza.
“The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages,” they said in a statement.
‘Take it or leave it’
US President Joe Biden added to the pressure by saying Mr Netanyahu was not doing enough to reach a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release.
The outgoing US president nonetheless said a final hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was “very close”.
It comes amid reports of Mr Biden considering to offer a final “take it or leave it” deal to Israel and Hamas as soon as this week, according to two people briefed on the discussions and quoted by Sky News’ US partner network NBC.
US Vice President Kamala Harris said this afternoon she had met the US hostage deal negotiation team.
She tweeted: “It is long past time for a ceasefire and hostage deal. We need to bring the hostages home and end the suffering in Gaza.”
Read more: Who are the six Israeli hostages confirmed dead?
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It is believed 101 people kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October are still inside Gaza – 35 of which are thought to have died.
Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since Hamas’ attack 11 months ago, which saw 1,200 people murdered in southern Israel and 250 taken hostage.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 40,786 Palestinians have now been killed in Israeli strikes on the densely populated enclave of Gaza since the war broke out.
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