Netanyahu Says Gaza Ceasefire Agreement Should Not Hinder Israel's Battle with Hamas

As protests within Israel against the government escalate, Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza war should allow Israel to continue its battle against the extremist group Hamas to achieve its goals. This comes as various reports indicate that Hamas has set aside some of its demands to reach a ceasefire. However, the Israeli Prime Minister emphasized on Sunday, July 8, that any agreement should not prevent the Israeli army's fight against Hamas to eliminate the military capacity of the group. He stated that the agreement accepted by Israel, which has been welcomed by U.S. President Joe Biden, allows for the return of an Israeli hostage but does not 'violate' other Israeli objectives. According to him, this agreement should also prevent 'arms smuggling' for Hamas from the Gaza-Egypt border and should not allow thousands of Hamas militants to return to northern Gaza. Israel is sending a delegation to negotiate with Hamas regarding the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that William Burns, the CIA director, is set to meet with Qatari, Egyptian, and Israeli officials in Doha on Wednesday to advance a new round of negotiations for a ceasefire. The Cairo-based Al-Qahera TV, close to the Egyptian government, also reported that Burns will visit Cairo this week, and at the same time, the Israeli delegation will head to the Egyptian capital. A senior Hamas member told Reuters that the group has provided its response to the proposed agreement from the mediators and is awaiting Israel's response. These developments come as Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents in Israel, who are calling for early parliamentary elections, continued their protests on Sunday under the name 'National Day of Protest and Disruption.' These opponents blocked streets near the Prime Minister's office and ministries in Jerusalem. The urban train route in downtown Jerusalem was also temporarily blocked by protesters who sat on the tracks. Various groups of protesters gathered in front of the homes of ministers and representatives of the ruling coalition. Opponents who gathered in front of Defense Minister Yoav Galant's house in the Yamikam area criticized the government for the security of the country and the lives of soldiers and security forces defending Israel, stating that they have no extra children for pointless wars. On Saturday night, protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and several other cities in Israel, emphasizing the need to end the current government's work. Protesters in front of Benjamin Netanyahu's private home in the city of Caesarea called him the cause of spilled blood. Alongside these actions, a group of families whose loved ones are still hostages of the extremist group Hamas in Gaza held a separate gathering in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, asking Benjamin Netanyahu not to 'disrupt' the new negotiations with Hamas. A group of these families went to the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on Sunday to urge Netanyahu and his ministers to support a deal with Hamas for the return of hostages to Israel. 'Progress' in negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of hostages. Right-wing extremist ministers in Netanyahu's government have threatened to leave the government if Hamas's revised plan is accepted. However, several opposition parties assured Netanyahu that they would support the government in such a deal, even outside the government coalition. Israel announced that a delegation from Mossad, including the head of this intelligence agency, will head to negotiations in Egypt later this week to follow up on the process that resumed last weekend after weeks of stagnation. Hamas has stated that it accepted the ceasefire plan announced by Joe Biden. Hamas has apparently agreed for the first time to release Israeli soldiers and male hostages without a full commitment from Israel to end the war. According to Reuters, Hamas is prepared to begin negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages 16 days after the first phase of the agreement is implemented. However, senior officials in the Israeli Prime Minister's office told their media that Hamas's response has been misleading and that the group has changed some clauses of the plan again. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, David Barnea, the head of Mossad, told mediators in a meeting on Friday in Doha that Hamas no longer has the right to change the announced plan. The head of Mossad met in Doha with the Prime Minister of Qatar and a senior delegation from the Egyptian intelligence and security agency. Egyptian media reported that mediating negotiations will continue this week in Cairo. According to the Times of Israel, a senior American official described the new negotiations as 'an important opportunity' for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages. Attacks in Gaza continue amid the crisis at the Israel-Lebanon border. Hospital sources in Gaza affiliated with the Hamas extremist group reported the death of 16 people in an Israeli attack on Saturday on a UN-affiliated school in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. The Israeli army stated that Hamas had turned the school into its terrorist operation headquarters. Meanwhile, UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, reported the death of two of its employees in another Israeli attack early Saturday in the Al-Bureij area. Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon also continued on Sunday with Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel. According to Israeli media, one person was severely injured in these attacks, and the army responded by bombing southern Lebanon. Israel stated that it killed another senior Hezbollah commander responsible for recent rocket fire into Israel in a drone strike in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army identified Maytham Mustafa Attar as one of the figures who strengthened arms and was linked to Iran. According to Israel, Attar gained his military experience from training and trips to Iran. Hezbollah confirmed Attar's death but refrained from mentioning his role in the structure of this Iranian proxy group in the region. Attar is the fourth senior field commander of Hezbollah to be killed in recent months. The number of Hezbollah casualties, according to the group's confirmation, has exceeded 360. About 200 other Lebanese, including around 100 civilians, have lost their lives during Israel's response to Hezbollah's attacks over the past nine months, causing severe destruction in many areas of southern Lebanon. Northern Israel has also been evacuated from its residents for the past nine months, and 27 Israelis, including 16 soldiers, have been killed during this period.