Netanyahu says partial Gaza ceasefire deal no longer possible

Jerusalem, Aug 13 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he believes the prospects for a partial ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas are no longer possible.

In an interview with Israeli broadcaster i24, on Tuesday, Netanyahu said the possibility of reaching a partial agreement "is behind us." He rejected accusations from opposition figures and former senior military officials that he was dragging his feet in the war, saying the goal remains to end the conflict, defeat Hamas, and secure the release of all hostages as part of a single final agreement "on our terms."

"I'm not going back to partial agreements," he said, accusing Hamas of "misleading" Israel, without providing details, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel plans to extend its military campaign beyond Gaza City into the last areas outside its control, where most of the enclave's roughly 2 million residents have taken refuge amid worsening humanitarian conditions.

In a separate development, the Israeli military said Tuesday it killed five "armed militants dressed as aid workers" near a vehicle marked with the emblem of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in a drone strike last week in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

Drone footage showed several men in yellow vests standing near a vehicle bearing the WCK's emblem. The military said the individuals were "posing a threat" to Israeli troops, though no soldiers were visible in the video and the men were not seen pointing their rifles at anyone.

The military called the incident "an attempt to conceal their activity and avoid being targeted," adding that Israel's Gaza District Coordination and Liaison Office has verified the information with the WCK, which confirmed that the vehicle has no connection to its operations.

However, there was no official comment from the WCK, an international humanitarian organization operating in Gaza since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023, providing meals and bread. Its operations have been severely limited by shortages caused by the Israeli blockade. There was no immediate comment from Hamas either.

--IANS

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