Peace negotiations will now only take place as Israel continues to pummel Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday amidst a renewed military offensive campaign in Gaza.
“From now on, the negotiations will resume only under fighting,” Netanyahu said in a brief public message.
The defiant Israeli prime minister said Hamas had “refused” to engage and return hostages and blamed the media for “echo[ing] Hamas propaganda” amid accusations that he’d renewed the fighting for his own political survival.
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“I hear the commentators reporting lies in the studios, as if the IDF’s recommendation and IDF actions stem from political considerations,” he said.
“They have no shame. They have no red lines. They simply echo Hamas propaganda time and time again.”
Netanyahu went on: “We extended the ceasefire for weeks when we did not receive any hostages. We sent delegations to Doha. We sent delegations to Cairo. We made proposals together with the mediators. We accepted the proposal of the American envoy, [Steve] Witkoff. In contrast, Hamas has repeatedly rejected every offer.”
Israel’s military launched a large-scale bombing campaign on Tuesday, breaking a ceasefire that had been in place since late January. The offensive mission killed at least 404 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which would make it one of the deadliest days of the war since October 7, 2023, if true.
“I want to assure you: this is just the beginning,” Netanyahu said.
CEASEFIRE OVER AS ISRAEL STRIKES GAZA AFTER HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE HOSTAGES, OFFICIALS SAY
Meanwhile, Israel said it intercepted a missile from Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday evening after the U.S.-led offensive strikes on 30 Houthi targets over the weekend.
“The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians,” Hazam el-Assad, a senior Houthi official, posted on X.
Netanyahu in his statement said Israel was “changing the face of the Middle East.”
“It has been proven in past months – military pressure brings the hostages – we already got many of them home.”
The prime minister claimed Hamas was to blame for “every civilian casualty.”
“Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists. And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they are the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties.”
“Palestinian civilians should avoid any contact with Hamas terrorists, and I call on the people of Gaza, get out of harm’s way. Move to safer areas. Because every civilian casualty is a tragedy and every civilian casualty is the fault of Hamas.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said in a joint statement their airstrikes had eliminated Essam al-Da’alis, “the most senior figure of authority in the Gaza Strip.”
The IDF and ISA also determined with “high probability” that Israeli strikes eliminated Mahmoud Marzouk Ahmed Abu-Watfa, the Minister of Internal Affairs in charge of Hamas’ Internal Security Forces; Bahajat Hassan Mohammed Abu-Sultan, who served as Head of Hamas’ Internal Security Forces; and Ahmed Amar Abdullah Alhata, who served as Hamas’ Minister of Justice.
The White House backed Israel’s moves to renew the bombing campaign, even as European leaders condemned them.
“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Brian Hughest told Fox News Digital.
Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “unwavering support.” “Our alliance with the United States has never been stronger.”
During the two-month ceasefire, 33 hostages were returned to Israel in exchange for nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.
Some 59 hostages remain in Hamas’ captivity, though Israel believes around 35 of them are dead.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano, Trey Yingst and The Associated Press ]contributed to this report.