Hamas rejected Israel's proposal to release 10 hostages for 45 days of ceasefire on Thursday night.
"We will not accept partial deals that serve [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's political agenda," Hamas negotiating team head Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement, which the terror group claimed is based on the continuation of the war.
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on Tuesday struck and killed Yahya Fathi Abd al-Qader Abu Shaar, the head of Hamas's weapons smuggling network, the military announced on Thursday.
Hamas faces a severe financial setback as it lacks cash to pay its members, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing Arab intelligence officials.
Israeli opposition figures responded on Thursday to the New York Times report, which said that US President Donald Trump had blocked a potential Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program.
Opposition head MK Yair Lapid wrote on X/Twitter that he had proposed to attack Iran's oil fields in October.
"Destroying Iran's oil industry would collapse its economy and ultimately bring down the regime. Netanyahu was afraid and stopped it," he wrote.
כבר באוקטובר הצעתי לתקוף את שדות הנפט של איראן. חיסול תעשיית הנפט האיראנית תהרוס את כלכלתה ותפיל בסופו של דבר את המשטר. נתניהו פחד, ועצר את זה.
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) April 17, 2025
Leader of the National Unity party, MK Benny Gantz, wrote, "Israel must, and can, remove the prospect of Iranian nuclear capabilities," in a Thursday X post.
במשטר האיראני מומחים בלמשוך זמן.
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) April 17, 2025
ישראל צריכה ויכולה לתקוף באיראן.
עלינו לרתום את ארה"ב ולהביא לשינוי פני המזרח התיכון.
"The Iranian Regime are experts at stalling," Gantz noted in the post, adding, "Coordinating closely with our great ally the United States, it is time to change the Middle East."
Former prime minister and political contender Naftali Bennett also commented on the report.
"The only deal worth making with Iran is one that: 1. Fully and permanently dismantles its nuclear program. 2. End all export of Iranian terrorism. 3. Fully stops ballistic missile development," Bennett wrote.
"Under President Trump’s leadership, the US has amassed for itself unprecedented leverage," Bennett added.
"At this moment, America is strong while the regime and its proxies are temporarily weaker than ever, almost defenseless," he continued.
The only deal worth making with Iran is one that:
— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) April 15, 2025
1. Fully and permanently dismantles its nuclear program.
2. Ends all export of Iranian terrorism.
3. Fully stops ballistic missile development.
Under President Trump’s leadership, the US has amassed for itself unprecedented…
"It would be a historic miss to allow Iran to regroup and threaten us—the US, Israel and the rest of the world—again," he added.
The consultations regarding the response to the Israeli ceasefire proposal are "nearing completion," Hamas claimed on Thursday.
This is a developing story.
US President Donald Trump blocked a planned Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites in favor of negotiating a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing administration officials and others with information on the matter.
Israel has seriously considered attacking Iran’s nuclear program multiple times since October 2024, The Jerusalem Post can reveal now, following the New York Times report.
The IDF struck overnight Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the military said on Thursday.
"Israel must, and can remove the prospect of Iranian nuclear capabilities," Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity party, wrote in a Thursday X/Twitter post.
"The Iranian Regime are experts at stalling," Gantz noted in the post, adding, "Coordinating closely with our great ally the United States, it is time to change the Middle East."
The Iranian Regime are experts at stalling. The State of Israel must, and can remove the prospect of Iranian nuclear capabilities.
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) April 17, 2025
Coordinating closely with our great ally the United States, it is time to change the Middle East.
Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Supernova music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
59 hostages remain in Gaza.
49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4 a.m.
Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on January 17, 2025.
