Gaza war persists: Netanyahu dismisses Biden's deal proposal

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decisively addressed the ongoing debate in Israel following US President Joe Biden's announcement of a proposed prisoner exchange deal, which was presented as an Israeli initiative. 

In a meeting with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu stated he would not accept ending the war as part of the prisoner exchange deal, highlighting a significant gap between Biden's proposal and what Israel had agreed upon.

Netanyahu, after convincing ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich not to withdraw from the government, emphasized to the committee that Israel retains the right to resume the war after the first phase of the deal. 

His remarks come at a time when it was revealed that Israel, according to the proposal, agrees to extend negotiations beyond the initial six-week period to secure a permanent ceasefire.

On the ground in Gaza, the Israeli military has intensified its operations, racing against diplomatic efforts to secure a swift response from both Hamas and Israel regarding the proposal. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been in phone discussions with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet member Benny Gantz, aiming to secure Israeli approval as a last chance to ensure the release of all hostages and achieve lasting calm along Israel's border with Lebanon, facilitating the return of displaced residents.

Meanwhile, in northern Israel, wildfires have ravaged over 10,000 dunams, overcoming Israeli military efforts to downplay the severity of the situation. 

The damage, exacerbated by the crash of a drone from Lebanon in Nahariyya, ten kilometers deep into Israeli territory, forced the military to raise the alert level from the nearest town to the border up to Haifa, including the northern oil refineries which Tel Aviv fears could be Hezbollah's next target.
 
During this time, data from the Alma Center in the north revealed that Hezbollah has doubled its drone and rocket launches in the past month.