Sa’ar warns Hamas may try to wriggle out of Gaza deal, insists plan meets war goals

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says Israel remains committed to its war goals in accepting the US plan to end the Gaza conflict, while warning that Hamas may try to “escape from implementing” the proposal, speaking at a joint press conference in Belgrade alongside his Serbian counterpart Marko Đurić.

Sa’ar says Israel’s acceptance “shouldn’t surprise anyone,” as Israel remains “committed to the goals that we set” for the war — which have been repeatedly stated as destroying Hamas’s armed capabilities, freeing the hostages, and ensuring Gaza doesn’t pose a future threat to Israel — “But we prefer to achieve them through diplomatic means.”

“Today, too, we are committed to these goals – as set by our security cabinet,” he says, adding that Hamas is “solely responsible” for the war’s continuation by refusing to end the conflict.

The foreign minister notes that Hamas has yet to accept the plan and expresses skepticism on the matter: “We know, according to the past, that they [Hamas] usually want to open and close, try changing the terms, and to escape from implementing. But we will see.”

A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman says Hamas was only handed the proposal last night, but promised to consider it responsibly.

Sa’ar adds that Israel wants “to see our hostages come home after two years,” mentioning by name hostage Alon Ohel, who holds Serbian citizenship, and says Israel hopes for a “deradicalized, demilitarized” Gaza that will no longer pose a threat to the Jewish state.

During a bilateral meeting this morning, Sa’ar and Đurić signed “a joint program of cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture, as well as memoranda of understanding on bilateral consultations and the training of diplomats,” and also decided to launch a strategic dialogue and a ministerial joint economic committee, Sa’ar office says.