Israeli PM Netanyahu sets date to end war on Gaza

Gulf Today Report

A senior Israeli security official confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to end the war in Gaza by next October, considering this date to represent the "maximum" end date for military operations, according to media reports.

The official, according to the newspaper, said in statements made during closed-door talks that the military operation could end before this date, provided the conditions on the ground are met and the strategic objectives are achieved. He indicated that the logic governing this timing is to prevent the war from continuing for more than two years.

An Israeli political source emphasized Tel Aviv's rejection of any proposals that include Hamas remaining an armed force in the Gaza Strip. The source told reporters, "Israel has not resorted to a comprehensive ceasefire so far, but rather has preferred gradual steps to allow negotiations to free the hostages."

He added, "We are seeking to exhaust all possible efforts to reach a deal, and this is affecting the pattern of operations. But our patience is not unlimited." Egyptian and Qatari mediators have proposed a new formula to end the war in Gaza, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC.

According to the official, the proposal includes a truce lasting between five and seven years, the release of all Israeli hostages, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a formal end to the war, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The official explained that Hamas has expressed its willingness to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to "any Palestinian entity agreed upon at the national and regional levels." The Civil Defense in Gaza reported on Monday that at least 16 people were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes on the Strip since dawn, most of them in the targeting of a house in Jabalia.