Israel has no hope that Hamas will accept Israel’s proposals for a ceasefire-hostage release deal without significantly enhanced military pressure, an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel.
Israel is increasing that pressure in the hopes of getting a ceasefire in place in time for US President Donald Trump’s Middle East trip, which begins on May 13.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also focusing more in his rhetoric on the goal of destroying Hamas, and less on the goal of a hostage release, as part of that pressure campaign, says the source. However, the goals of the war have not changed, the source argues.
Netanyahu on Thursday angered hostages’ families when he said that while bringing back hostages was “very important,” the “supreme goal” of the war was victory.
The IDF later appeared to contradict Netanyahu and said bringing back the hostages was the “supreme mission.”
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