Netanyahu: If Hamas Doesn’t Accept Terms Within 60 Days, Israel Will Resume Fighting

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a strong warning from Washington Thursday evening, stating that Israel is prepared to resume its military campaign in Gaza if Hamas does not accept Israel’s core conditions within the next 60 days of a proposed temporary ceasefire.

In a video address, Netanyahu declared that Israel remains fully committed to securing the return of all hostages and is open to ending the war—if Hamas agrees to terms that include full demilitarization and a complete end to its governing and military capabilities in Gaza.

“I told them that we are currently trying to achieve the release of half of the hostages, both alive and dead, in exchange for a temporary ceasefire of 60 days,” Netanyahu said, recounting his meeting with families of hostages. “At the beginning of this ceasefire, negotiations will be entered into to end the war permanently. That is, a permanent ceasefire. In order for us to achieve this, this must be done under the minimum conditions that we have set: Hamas lays down its weapons, Gaza is demilitarized, Hamas no longer has any governmental or military capabilities. These are our basic conditions.”

These same demands have been reiterated by Netanyahu since the war broke out following the October 7 Hamas massacre.

“If this can be achieved through negotiations — that’s great. If it is not achieved through negotiations in 60 days, we will achieve it in other ways; by using force, the force of our heroic army,” he added. Netanyahu made the statement after attending a memorial ceremony for two Israeli embassy workers murdered in May.

He drew a comparison to the Iranian nuclear threat. “We said the same thing about Iran, removing the nuclear threat,” he said. “If this is achieved in 60 days of negotiations between the United States and Iran, that’s great. But if it is not achieved, it will be achieved in another way.”

Addressing concerns about the drawn-out war effort in Gaza, Netanyahu explained that the IDF is operating in an environment unlike any faced by other militaries.

“First of all, this is a war zone that no army in the world has faced,” he said. “And thanks to the heroism of the fighters, thanks to the sacrifice of the fallen, thanks to the creativity, we dismantled most of Hamas’s military capabilities. But not all of them. There are still thousands of fighters there with weapons. And we want to act, again, with a combination of diplomacy and military force, and military force if diplomacy doesn’t work, to complete the mission.”

He also acknowledged that the Biden administration initially delayed Israel’s ground operation in Rafah, but emphasized that Israel pressed forward regardless.

“We overcame that too, and now we want to complete the move,” he said. “And I remind you — [all this has happened] during the very months, the last few months, in which we were preparing and finally carrying out the military operation that is perhaps the most brilliant in our history, among the most brilliant certainly, which the whole world is in awe of.”

Netanyahu added that the IDF is continuing operations in Gaza, including recovering the bodies of hostages who were murdered by Hamas. “Meanwhile, we continue to advance in the Gaza Strip and rescue the hostages who have died. In the meantime, we did not let up for a moment, and even now we are not letting up on this for a moment.”

He reiterated that if Hamas does not meet Israel’s demands during the proposed pause, the IDF will restart combat, as it did following previous ceasefires.

“If Israel’s goals are achieved diplomatically, that’s good,” Netanyahu said. “But one way or another, they will be achieved.”

Discussing the release of hostages, Netanyahu admitted that he would prefer to secure everyone’s release at once, but noted that the nature of the enemy prevents such an outcome.

“We are dealing with a cruel terrorist organization. Of course, we would like to rescue everyone, and from our point of view, they are all humanitarian. I want to rescue everyone in one fell swoop,” he said. “Here we are dealing with two stages, but the choice is not always ours. We will do everything to maximize this release in the best possible way. Not everything is in our hands.”