Israel’s prime minister says he “will not surrender to pressure” amid growing calls for him to agree a deal to end the conflict in Gaza.
Speaking in an address to the nation, Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “certain things we won’t compromise on” with Hamas.
Mr Netanyahu said he was “fully committed” to advancing negotiations for a ceasefire, but claimed the Palestinian militant group was “refusing” any proposal.
The Israeli prime minister also vowed that Israel would not give up control of the Philadelphi corridor in Gaza – a narrow piece of land in southern Gaza which leads to its border with Egypt – which he described as “Hamas’ lifeline”.
Mr Netanyahu’s comments came amid intense pressure over the deaths of six more Israeli hostages.
Speaking against a backdrop of some of the largest protests his government has seen since the outbreak of the war in Gaza almost 11 months ago, Mr Netanyahu issued a message of unity, urging that Israel “must stand united as one”.
Some half a million people are estimated to have taken the streets of Israel on Sunday to express anger at his government’s failure to secure a ceasefire deal after the six hostages were found dead in an underground tunnel in Gaza on Saturday.
Mr Netanyahu issued an apology to the families of the hostages for failing to return them alive and asked for forgiveness.
But he also hit out at the suggestion that their deaths should result in more pressure on Israel to agree to a deal, and said Hamas would pay a “heavy price” for killing the hostages in “cold blood”.
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Joe Biden said Mr Netanyahu wasn’t doing enough to get a deal for the hostages. Pic: Reuters
The Israeli Health Ministry said post-mortem examinations had determined the hostages had been shot at close range and died on Thursday or Friday.
Hostage Families Forum, which organised the protest over the weekend, blamed the Israeli government for the deaths, and said the hostages could have been returned alive if a deal had been struck with Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza.
“The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages,” they said in a statement.
‘Take it or leave it’
US President Joe Biden added to the pressure by saying Mr Netanyahu was not doing enough to reach a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release.
The outgoing US president nonetheless said a final hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was “very close”.
It comes amid reports that Mr Biden was considering offering a final “take it or leave it” deal to Israel and Hamas as soon as this week, according to two people briefed on the discussions and quoted by Sky News’ US partner network NBC.
US Vice President Kamala Harris said this afternoon she had met the US hostage deal negotiation team.
She tweeted: “It is long past time for a ceasefire and hostage deal. We need to bring the hostages home and end the suffering in Gaza.”
Read more: Who are the six Israeli hostages confirmed dead?
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It is not clear how many hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel has been waging a war on the enclave since Hamas’ attack 11 months ago, which saw 1,200 people killed in southern Israel, with a further 250 taken hostage.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 40,786 Palestinians have now been killed during Israel’s offensive on the densely populated Gaza Strip.