Netanyahu on Talks With Hamas: Israel Will Not Withdraw Troops Until Complete Victory

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israel will not withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip until the complete victory over Hamas and will not free "thousands" of Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"I hear statements about various deals, so I want to make it clear — we will not end this war until all its goals are achieved. This means the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our hostages and guarantees that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. We will not withdraw the military from the Gaza Strip and we will not free thousands of terrorists. None of this will happen," Netanyahu said.

On Monday, NBC News reported that Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar agreed in Paris on the basis of a new deal for the gradual release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. The new deal includes a phased release of the remaining US and Israeli hostages, starting with women and children, along with gradual pauses in fighting and aid supplies to the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.

The Palestinian movement Hamas has received a proposal regarding a truce in the Gaza Strip and will give a response after studying it, the chairman of the movement's political office, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Tuesday.

The Hamas leadership has also received an invitation to visit Cairo to discuss a framework agreement reached in Paris.