A senior member of the Israeli negotiation team attempting to reach a hostage release deal said on Tuesday that the war would not end after the offensive in Rafah. "Israel will continue its strong and effective military campaign. "There are more operations prepared by the military and Israel will remain in Gaza," he said.
"Stopping the war would seal the fate of the hostages therefore an end to the fighting and a withdrawal of troops from the Strip could only come by negotiations and after mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with the agreement," he said.
"Israel has seen in the last cease-fire deal and during the past decade, with other hostages, that Hamas does not stand by its commitments. We must ensure that we have the leverage to guarantee compliance and must have clear certainty that Hamas will not change the terms of the deal as it progresses."
The official said Israel would only negotiate over the proposal as presented by U.S. President Joe Biden. "No one can change it," he said. No other outline would be discussed other than the one approved by the UN Security Council," he said adding that the Hamas response to Biden's proposed outline, was tantamount to its rejection.