Pressure builds on Netanyahu to advance Gaza cease-fire deal

In a joint statement Saturday, the United States, Qatar and Egypt, which together have mediated the negotiations, called on Israel and Hamas to “finalize the agreement,” saying the proposed deal “offers a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and ending the crisis.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also all publicly expressed support for the deal, as did top diplomats in Britain and Germany, both close allies of Israel.

In a speech on Friday, Biden outlined what he described as an Israeli proposal to halt the fighting and free the hostages still held Gaza, a plan that would unfold in three phases, leading to an eventual withdrawal of Israeli troops.

The surprise announcement brought a sense of optimism to parts of the Israeli public eager for a deal, including the families of some hostages and their supporters, who have been demonstrating weekly in support of an agreement. The protests swelled in Tel Aviv on Saturday, with some demonstrators holding pro-Biden signs.

“Yesterday, President Biden showed us that our struggle in the street goes with hope, with a brighter future for Israel,” Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said at the protest in Tel Aviv.

“Our struggle is the way to get the hostages back,” she said. “We can’t let the prime minister sabotage the deal.”

As outlined by Biden, the three-stage plan would begin with a six-week cease-fire and the release of women and child hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from populated areas of Gaza and a surge of aid trucks into the territory.

Negotiations would then start over the second phase for a permanent end to fighting and full Israeli withdrawal, along with the release of all remaining hostages. Phase three would focus on reconstruction and the establishment of a Palestinian government that excludes Hamas, which ruled Gaza for 16 years.

Netanyahu’s office on Friday said the government was “united in its desire to return the hostages as soon as possible” and that its proposal “would also enable Israel to continue the war until all its objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.”

But in a follow-up statement Saturday, his office emphasized that Israel would not “agree to a permanent ceasefire” until its goals were achieved and “Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” adding that any suggestions otherwise were “a non-starter.”

The statements came as Netanyahu navigates deep divisions within his own government. On Saturday, two far-right members of his coalition — National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — denounced the deal and threatened to resign or collapse the government.

Ben-Gvir, in a post on X, called the proposal “promiscuous” and “a victory for terrorism.”

“Netanyahu is trying to have his cake and eat it” too, Udi Sommer, a politics professor at Tel Aviv University, said of the conflicting statements.

The U.S. decision to “go public” with Israel’s proposal has ramped up pressure on Netanyahu not to renege, he said. But the unusual Saturday morning statement from the prime minister’s office also appeared aimed at “coalition politics,” by making assurances Israel would push ahead in Gaza until its aim of total victory, Sommer added.

At the same time, centrist opposition leader, Benny Gantz, called for the war cabinet, of which he is a member, to meet as soon as possible. The proposal Biden outlined was “formulated by the negotiation team and unanimously approved by the war cabinet,” he said.

In May, Gantz announced that he planned to resign if Netanyahu didn’t decide on a comprehensive postwar plan — including a strategy to bring the hostages home — before June 8.

Hamas said late Friday that it had viewed Biden’s speech “positively.” In a statement, the militant group said it was ready to “deal positively and constructively with any proposal based on a permanent cease-fire” if Israel also declares its “explicit commitment” to the deal.

But according to Yaki Dayan, a former chief of staff in Israel’s Foreign Ministry and an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations, questions remain over parts of the plan that Biden may have skimmed over.

“No doubt, this is the essence of the offer, but the devil is in the details. Have we seen all the details?” he said of the agreement.

And as both sides appeared to disagree — once again — on whether the deal should include a permanent cease-fire, Dayan said: “The more you look at it, the more deja vu you get.”

Netanyahu accepted an invitation from top congressional leaders to address a joint meeting of Congress. The prime minister said Saturday that he will “present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us to the representatives of the American people and the entire world.” The invitation, signed by top Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, expressed solidarity with Israel and mentioned the “existential challenges” posed by Iran, Russia and China.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone with his counterparts in Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, the State Department said. He discussed the cease-fire proposal, including a plan for major reconstruction efforts in Gaza, according to readouts of the three calls.

Indonesia’s president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, said his country is willing to send “significant peacekeeping forces to maintain and monitor this prospective ceasefire,” Reuters news agency reported. He added that Indonesia is also ready to “to evacuate, to receive and to treat with medical care up to 1,000 patients” from Gaza.

At least 36,379 people have been killed and 82,407 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 293 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.

Morris reported from Jerusalem, Bisset reported from London and Pietsch reported from Washington.