Netanyahu says there is ‘no way’ Israel halts the war in Gaza until Hamas is defeated

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is "no way" Israel will halt its war in Gaza, even if a deal is reached to release more hostages.

His comments are likely to complicate talks on a new ceasefire that had seemed to gain momentum after Hamas released the last living American hostage on Monday in a gesture to U.S. President Donald Trump, who is visiting the region but skipping Israel.

They pointed to a potentially widening rift between Netanyahu and Trump, who had expressed hope that Monday's release of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander would be a step toward ending the 19-month war.

In comments released by his office Tuesday from a visit to wounded soldiers the previous day, Netanyahu said Israeli forces were just days away from a promised escalation of force and would enter Gaza "with great strength to complete the mission. … It means destroying Hamas."

Any ceasefire deal reached would be temporary, the prime minister said. If Hamas were to say they would release more hostages, "we'll take them, and then we'll go in. But there will be no way we will stop the war," Netanyahu said. "We can make a ceasefire for a certain period of time, but we're going to the end."

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The dispute over whether to end the conflict has been the main obstacle in negotiations going back more than a year.

Israel says 58 hostages remain in captivity, with as many as 23 of them said to be alive, although authorities have expressed concern about the condition of three of them. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that started the war were freed in ceasefire deals.

Monday’s release of 21-year-old Alexander resulted from negotiations between Hamas and the Trump administration that appeared to have largely bypassed Israel, which made no concessions for his release.

Alexander, who was 19 years old when he was taken from an Israeli army base during the 2023 attack, was the first hostage released since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March and unleashed fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.

"This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators - Qatar and Egypt - to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday evening. "Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!"

Israel has promised to intensify its offensive, including by seizing Gaza and displacing much of the territory's population again. Days before the ceasefire ended in March, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave, deepening a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings about the risk of famine if the blockade isn't lifted. Israel says the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement on Israel's terms.

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that according to Gaza's Health Ministry, 57 children had died from the effects of malnutrition since the blockade began on March 2.

Alexander's release created a backlash against Netanyahu, who critics accuse of putting the lives of the hostages in danger by continuing the war. Netanyahu says he is committed to returning all the hostages, destroying Hamas and resettling much of Gaza's population through what he refers to as "voluntary emigration."

During a nearly two-hour meeting in Tel Aviv with the families of hostages on Tuesday, the United States’ special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's envoy for hostage affairs, said they would do what was needed to bring the remaining hostages home.

Witkoff said everyone would prefer a diplomatic solution and that most hostages had been released through diplomacy. The officials were heading to Doha, Qatar, after their meeting to join President Donald Trump who's visiting the region. Qatar has been a key mediator between Israel and Hamas.

Witkoff said they wouldn't be traveling to Qatar if they didn't think there was a genuine chance for progress in negotiations.

Netanyahu has voiced support for a plan proposed by Trump for Palestinians to be moved out of the Gaza Strip after the war – a proposal that has infuriated Palestinians and Arab nations.

"We have put together an administration that will allow them to leave, but the problem with us is one thing - we need receptive countries," Netanyahu said during his visit to the wounded soldiers Monday. "That's what we're working on right now. If you give them the go-ahead, I tell you that more than 50% will leave, and I think much more."

Israel and the US have been seeking countries willing to take Palestinians who would potentially move out of the territory.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in the 2023 attack. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 52,800 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians.

Israel's offensive has obliterated vast swaths of Gaza's urban landscape and displaced 90% of the population, often multiple times.