Netanyahu announces his condition to end attacks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with U.S. author Dan Senor, stated that Israel is ready to end its attacks on Gaza if Hamas lays down its arms, in the shadow of a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal that was accepted by Hamas but rejected by Israel.

Netanyahu said, "If Hamas lays down its arms, surrenders, and releases the hostages, the war could end tomorrow. The option of (Hamas leadership) going into exile is still on the table, we can always discuss it, but the most important issue is surrender. If they lay down their arms, the war ends."

HAMAS HAD APPROVED THE CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL

Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh had informed Qatar and Egypt on May 6 that he had approved their proposals regarding a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Following Hamas's announcement that it had approved the "ceasefire proposals" conveyed by Qatar and Egypt, the Israeli War Cabinet had decided to continue attacks in Rafah.

The Israeli army announced on May 6 that it had requested the evacuation of certain neighborhoods in the east of Rafah, where forcibly displaced Palestinians had taken refuge, and on the morning of May 7, it launched a ground offensive into the Rafah region of Gaza, announcing that it had seized the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt.

In a statement on May 10, Hamas noted that it would review its negotiation strategy regarding the hostage exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza after Israel rejected the mediators' ceasefire proposal.