"We are on way to complete victory": Israel's PM Netanyahu dismisses Hamas' proposals for ceasefire

In a blow to diplomatic attempts to cessation of IsraelGaza conflict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Hamas plans for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza calling them delusional reported CNNIn a briefing on Wednesday Netanyahu said We havent committed to anything We havent committed to any of the delusional demands of Hamas the numbers of terrorists with blood on their handsThere is not a commitment there has to be a negotiation its a process and at the moment from what I see from Hamas its not happening Netanyahu underlinedNetanyahu stated that Israels goal is complete victory and that the country will not do less than thatWe are on the way to complete victory The victory is achievable its not a matter of years or decades its a matter of months CNN quoted him as sayingNetanyahus answer comes as a blow to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is visiting the area as attempts to end the violence increase However the Israeli leader did not rule out the potential of additional talksAt a news conference in Beirut on Wednesday Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan said that the organisation will send a team to Cairo to follow up on its recommendations for the hostage and truce arrangementsHamdan stated that the delegation will fly to Cairo on Thursday in the context of our keenness to achieve the best resultsUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in Tel Aviv according to a pool of reporters travelling with the secretary CNN reportedThe meeting held at 1150 am local time was closed to the pressThe US State Secretary is in Israel for meetings with key government officials to press for a humanitarian pause as international and domestic US pressure to end the conflict in Gaza continues to mount reported CNNThe discussions in Tel Aviv gained added significance due to Hamas presenting a response to a proposal aimed at securing the release of remaining hostages held by the group and achieving a sustained cessation of fighting in GazaThe complete Hamas response outlines three phases each lasting 45 days including the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza a substantial humanitarian effort and unrestricted movement for people across Gaza as per information obtained by CNNOn both his current and last trip to the Middle East Blinken has stressed that the Israeli government must make difficult decisions and move toward a twostate solution if it wants to achieve normalisation with Saudi Arabia and if it wants the support of its Arab neighbours for security and reconstruction in GazaThe top US diplomat who met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Monday said that Saudi Arabia still has a strong interest in normalizing relations with Israel but the Crown Prince made clear that the war in Gaza must end and there must be a clear credible timebound path to the establishment of a Palestinian stateThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever