Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

Netanyahu stalls ceasefire deal as Hamas agrees, captives die: Lapid

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Al Mayadeen
  • 25 Aug 2025 11:47
3 Min Read

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately stalling a ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal already accepted by Hamas, warning that continued military operations only endanger captives.

Listen
  • x
  • ap
    Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks at the opening of the 25th Knesset session, in occupied al-Quds, Monday, October 28, 2024. (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday that Hamas has already approved a proposal for a deal, yet the government is "manipulating while the captives are dying," doubling down on his refusal to join a temporary unity government.

Lapid dismissed Blue and White leader Benny Gantz's call for a six-month "Hostage-Rescue Government," explaining that he sees no reason "to participate in a government that includes Ben-Gvir and Smotrich" in order to secure an agreement for the return of captives. Instead, Lapid reiterated his own standing offer: to provide Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with "an external safety net" from the opposition if it helps finalize a deal.

His comments came after Egyptian and Qatari mediators confirmed that Hamas and other Palestinian factions had accepted a ceasefire and prisoner-exchange framework. The proposal, as reported on August 18, included a 60-day suspension of hostilities, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza, the release of 10 Israeli captives in exchange for over 1,500 Palestinian detainees, and the reopening of the Rafah crossing for aid and movement. Humanitarian assistance, including fuel, food, and medical supplies, was also stipulated as part of the agreement.

Yet despite Hamas's acceptance, Netanyahu's cabinet has not endorsed the plan. Instead, it recently approved preparations for a new military push into Gaza City. Lapid branded the move a "disaster" that would further endanger captives rather than bring them home.

Related News

Despite Trump’s calm order, Israeli bombs still pound Gaza, kill 10

Exposed: Western journalists secretly served 'Israel's' war propaganda

"The government continues to make hollow promises," Lapid said, adding that assurances of rescuing captives through expanded military campaigns" are exactly what we heard before Rafah. And what happened? The abductees died, soldiers were killed, and we could not bring anyone back."

Far-right ministers escalate rhetoric

Complicating matters further, far-right ministers in Netanyahu's coalition have openly called for starvation tactics against Palestinians. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a Cabinet meeting on August 24, "No water, no electricity. Let them die of hunger or surrender," remarks that sparked a heated clash with army chief Eyal Zamir, who warned such political directives were militarily unrealistic. Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accused Zamir of weakness, while Netanyahu and senior ministers remained silent under mounting US pressure.

On Saturday, Gantz urged Netanyahu, Lapid, and Avigdor Lieberman to form a six-month government to focus on the captives and the conscription law before holding early elections. "I know they will say I want to save Netanyahu, but that is not true. I want to save the captives," Gantz said.

However, with Netanyahu intent on expanding military operations and far-right ministers firmly opposed to any compromise with Hamas, analysts see little prospect for such an arrangement moving forward. Hamas, meanwhile, has accused Netanyahu of deliberately derailing truce efforts for domestic political gain, warning that only a ceasefire agreement can secure the release of captives.

Read more: Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

  • war on Gaza
  • Benjamin Netanyahu
  • Yair Lapid
  • Gaza ceasefire
  • Hamas
  • Israeli captives
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS