Israel won't accept demands after Hamas rejects ceasefire plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his government will not accept Hamas’ "delusional” conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza. The Palestinian group Hamas rejected the latest truce proposal because it says Israel is ignoring the group's core demands.

Hamas wants an end to the war and Israel's full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Israel seeks to destroy Hamas and to recover all of the approximately 100 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, as well as the remains of some 30 others.

Netanyahu also rebuked Monday's UN Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire. The council's legally binding demand for a pause in the war comes as much of the Gaza Strip is in ruins, most of its 2.3 million residents are displaced, and a third of the besieged population is on the brink of famine.

More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 74,000 wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally. The ministry says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

Some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and another 250 people abducted when Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack out of Gaza on Oct. 7, triggering the war.

Associated Press