Netanyahu faces down calls in Israel for ceasefire with Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced down increasing calls in Israel for ceasefire negotiations with Hamas on Saturday, insisting that continuing the brutal military campaign in Gaza was the only way to secure the release of the remaining Israeli captives.

"I believe we can bring our hostages home without surrendering to Hamas's dictates," Netanyahu said in a video statement Saturday evening.

"We are at a critical stage of the campaign, and at this point, we need patience and determination to win."

The statement was Netanyahu's first public comments since Hamas refused Israel's demands for its surrender to end the war.

Earlier this week, the Palestinian group offered to release the 59 prisoners it holds in Gaza in exchange for a permanent end to the war - an offer the Israeli government swiftly rejected.

Netanyahu's refusal to return to ceasefire negotiations comes amid rising support in Israel for a negotiated peace.

Fresh polling this week showed that almost two-thirds of Israelis support negotiating an end to the war in return for the release of the remaining captives.

Meanwhile, Israel's far-right is urging Netanyahu to intensify the assault on Gaza, with extremist ministers in his cabinet demanding a full occupation of Gaza and the expulsion of the Palestinians.

Netanyahu's comments were condemned by an Israeli group representing the captives' families.

"Many words and slogans will not be able to hide the simple fact — Netanyahu has no plan," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

"There is one clear, feasible, and urgent solution that can be achieved now: reach a deal that will bring everyone home - even if it means stopping the fighting," it continued.

Of the 147 Israeli captives freed over the past 18 months, almost all of them have been released via negotiations.

More than 100 were freed in a prisoner-exchange deal in November 2023, and another 33 returned to Israel during the six-week ceasefire earlier this year.

The remaining prisoners were supposed to be released during a second phase of the truce, which collapsed on 18 March after Israel unilaterally reimposed its siege on Gaza and resumed its military assault.

Since then, Israeli forces have killed almost 1,800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and wounded thousands of others.

The blockade is imposing starvation conditions on Gaza's 2.2 million residents, with aid agencies warning that rapidly dwindling supplies of food and aid threaten to tip the territory into famine.

The killing continued on Sunday morning, with at least three Palestinians reported dead in Israeli shelling near Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Israel has killed 51,157 Palestinians in its 18-month assault on Gaza, according to the local health ministry. Thousands of others are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.