ALBAWABA - Following the news of a new ceasefire deal on the table, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to tank the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he accepts an Egyptian proposal for a Gaza ceasefire.
The Israeli far-right minister labeled accepting the terms of the Egyptian proposal as a "humiliating surrender" to Hamas and the Palestinians.
Smotrich took to X to express his anger towards the proposed deal, saying: "If you decide to fly a white flag and cancel the order to conquer Rafah immediately to complete the mission of destroying Hamas and restore peace for the residents of southern Israel and all of the country’s citizens, and return our abducted brothers and sisters who are held hostage to their homes – then the government you head will have no right of existence,".
According to two Israeli officials who spoke with Axios, the new proposal included Israel's willingness to negotiate the "restoration of sustainable calm" in Gaza following the initial humanitarian release of hostages.
Hamas said on Friday that it has received a new cease-fire proposal and will respond to it shortly. The Palestinian group insists on halting Israel's brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip in exchange for any hostage swap with the Israeli government.
A senior Hamas spoke to AFP, saying that a high-profile delegation representing the group will be visiting Egypt's Cairo on Monday to deliver the group's response to Israel's counterproposal.
"The atmosphere is positive unless there are new Israeli obstacles," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There are no major issues in the observations and inquiries submitted by Hamas regarding the contents of the proposal" the official added.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 34,454+ people, with more than 77,575+ injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
