Netanyahu rules out Gaza pullout or release of thousands of militants — Hamas demands in truce talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there will be no military withdrawal from Gaza or the release of thousands of jailed militants, two key demands of Hamas in ongoing indirect cease-fire talks.

During an event in the occupied West Bank, he once again vowed that the war will not end without “absolute victory” over Hamas.

“We will not end this war without achieving all of our goals,” he said. “We will not pull out the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip and we will not release thousands of terrorists.”