Netanyahu: Fighting Can Be Halted to Return Hostages, Not the War

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today, Monday, that "we can halt the fighting for 42 days to return the hostages, but we cannot stop the war." He stated, "I did not agree to the comprehensive ceasefire clause in the proposed format," pointing out that "the first phase of the exchange deal will be separate, and the rest of the phases will be discussed." He indicated that "I will not discuss the details of the deal, but what U.S. President Joe Biden offered is not accurate, and there are undisclosed details." Netanyahu was quoted by "Israel Hayom" stating that "the Iranians and all our enemies are watching us, wanting to see if we will surrender." He confirmed that "whoever will govern Gaza in the future is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority." Israeli media reported Netanyahu saying: "We are capable of implementing the first phase of the deal and then proposing conditions for the second phase."