Any cease-fire agreement in Gaza should allow Israel to resume hostilities until the achievement of its war aims, the prime minister of Israel said Benjamin Netanyahu, as negotiations to end the war in the Gaza Strip are expected to resume.

“The plan agreed to by Israel and welcomed by President Biden will allow the release of hostages without creating obstacles to the rest of the war targets”, clarified the Israeli prime minister.

The agreement must prohibit the entry of weapons to Hamas through Egypt’s border with Gaza and must not allow the return to northern Gaza of thousands of Palestinian militants, he added.

“The ball is in Israel’s court”

Hamas agrees to negotiate on the fate of hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners in the absence of a permanent ceasefire, a top official of the movement that rules the Gaza Strip said earlier.

“Hamas demanded Israel’s agreement to a universal and permanent ceasefire as a condition for negotiations,” he said. “That point was overcome after mediators pledged that as long as negotiations are ongoing, the ceasefire will remain in place.”

“Hamas backed down as to the condition he had set for a permanent cease-fire and accepted the start of negotiations,” the movement’s official insisted, while mediation efforts to reach a truce are being strengthened.