'Negotiations with Hamas will be under fire': Netanyahu
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Netanyahu states that the Israeli military insisted on exerting military pressure in Gaza to achieve the so-called war objectives.
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Screengrab of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recorded statement, March 18, 2025 (Social Media)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that "negotiations with Hamas will be under fire" from now on, claiming that the return to fighting comes after Hamas rejected all offers made by "Israel" for the release of Israeli captives.
In a video statement released by the prime minister following the resumption of the Israeli war on Gaza, he claimed that "Israel" had extended the ceasefire for weeks, sent delegations, and accepted the proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, but received no response from Hamas.
However, it is worth noting that Hamas has consistently shown flexibility in negotiations. During the last round of talks, Hamas demanded guarantees to move to the second phase when US envoy Steve Witkoff proposed a "bridge" solution to the prisoner exchange, calling for the release of 10 living captives and have of the deceased ones.
Netanyahu noted that the Israeli occupation forces recommended increasing military pressure on Hamas as a strategy to achieve the war's so-called objectives, including the return of captives. He also claimed "Israel" would resume military escalation "to ensure that the Gaza Strip does not pose a threat to Israel."
He also announced the approval of the "army’s recommendation to resume intensive fighting against Hamas" in a joint decision with his security minister, Israel Katz.
In the same context, Netanyahu acknowledged that Yemenis had launched rockets toward occupied Beer al-Sabe' and the Negev, and issued an implicit threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
While emphasizing cooperation with the United States to confront what he claims is the "axis of evil", he refrained from making a direct threat to Tehran, in contrast to US President Donald Trump’s statement that "any attack by the Yemenis would be considered an Iranian attack."
'Israel' reneged on Gaza ceasefire, US complicit in genocide: Hamas
As the aggression on Gaza has been renewed, Hamas issued a statement of condemnation, saying "Israel" has reneged on the ceasefire agreement, evading its obligations, and continues to commit massacres against the Palestinian people in Gaza, amid a shameful international silence.
"The claims made by the [Israeli] occupation regarding preparations by the Resistance to launch an attack on its forces are baseless and are merely false pretexts to justify its return to war and escalate its bloody aggression," the statement read.
The Palestinian group accused "Israel" of "attempting to mislead public opinion and fabricate false justifications to cover up its premeditated decision to resume its genocidal campaign against defenseless civilians, disregarding any commitments it made."
"Hamas adhered to the agreement until the very last moment and was committed to its continuation," the statement stressed, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "seeking a way out of his internal crises, preferred to reignite the war at the cost of our people's blood."
In a separate statement, Hamas considered that the US administration's admission that it was previously informed about the resumed Israeli aggression "confirms its direct partnership in the genocide" against the Palestinian people.
