Sa’ar says Israel willing to negotiate permanent ceasefire in Gaza if temporary truce is reached

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says Israel would negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip if an agreement is reached on a temporary truce.

“If a temporary ceasefire is reached, we are willing to negotiate a permanent one,” Sa’ar says, speaking at a joint press conference in Bratislava alongside his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has until now refused to enter talks over an end to the Gaza war until Hamas is defeated.

“Israel is serious in its intent to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza. I believe it is achievable,” Sa’ar says, pointing to the fact that Israel “sent a delegation to negotiate in Doha and said yes to [United States] Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff’s proposal,” which would see a 60-day truce in exchange for the release of about half of the hostages in Gaza in its first phase.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a ceasefire are ongoing this week in Doha, in parallel to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where Israel and the US are intensifying efforts to reach a deal.

Sa’ar emphasizes that “Hamas still holds 50 of our hostages” and that the war “can end tomorrow if Hamas releases them and lays down its weapons.”

He denies that Israel is pointlessly prolonging the war, saying, “We are committed to our war objectives — but war itself is not our objective. We always prefer to achieve our goals through diplomatic means. But it must be clear: Hamas is not only responsible for initiating this war, but also for its continuation. Pressure must be applied to Hamas.”