Benjamin Netanyahu has shied away from a US-backed plan to end the war with Hamas, as Israel’s premier sought space to quell a revolt in his ruling coalition while keeping the White House onside.
Israel’s war cabinet convened for crunch talks on the potential deal late on Sunday, but officials close to Netanyahu made clear that any agreement to permanently halt the fighting in Gaza would be unacceptable.
With both pro and anti-deal coalition partners threatening to leave the government, Netanyahu’s office issued two carefully worded statements over the weekend emphasising that Israel would continue its military campaign until Hamas was destroyed, all of the Israeli hostages were released, and Gaza no longer posed a threat.