Netanyahu rejects US‑backed ceasefire, vows to continue military offensive

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on September 2 that Israeli forces were "not retreating" from Gaza, rejecting a U.S.-backed ceasefire formula that called for a withdrawal. He made the remarks during a visit to Israeli troops inside the enclave, according to reports published by Arab News and other outlets carrying AFP and Reuters material. (arabnews.com) The comments came after an Israeli commando raid that Palestinian officials and Hamas described as a major ceasefire breach. The dispute has widened a gap between Israel's military posture and the truce terms backed by mediators. (aol.com) ### What exactly did Netanyahu reject? The U.S.-backed proposal called for Israeli forces to pull back as part of a ceasefire framework, according to Arab News and Reuters-based reports. (anews.com.tr) Netanyahu said instead that Israel would keep military control in Gaza and continue operations until its stated objectives were met. Arab News reported that Netanyahu's position was delivered during a visit to military positions in Gaza on September 2. Reuters-based accounts published by RTÉ, Al Arabiya and The Straits Times similarly said he told troops Israel was not withdrawing despite mediator efforts to advance the plan. (arabnews.com) ### What happened before those remarks? September 2 reporting tied Netanyahu's comments to an Israeli commando raid in Gaza that intensified pressure on the ceasefire. The National described the raid as "terrifying" and said Netanyahu followed it by pledging there would be no retreat from Gaza. (arabnews.com) Hamas said on September 2 that it had urgently contacted regional mediators and Nickolay Mladenov, identified as the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, to demand pressure on Israel to stop what it called escalating violations. The group said those contacts followed an Israeli attack accompanied by air strikes that killed and wounded Palestinians. (arabnews.com) ### How deadly has the ceasefire period been? More than 900 people have been killed in Gaza this year despite the ceasefire, according to figures cited by BBC Verify from the Hamas-run health ministry. The same figures put the death toll since the October 10 ceasefire declaration at more than 1,300, including 301 children. (straitstimes.com) The casualty data is central to Hamas's argument that the truce has been repeatedly violated. BBC Verify said the figures came from the Hamas-run ministry; Israel has historically disputed or challenged some Gaza casualty accounting, though the search results reviewed here did not surface a fresh Israeli response to the specific September 2 BBC tally. (anews.com.tr) ### Who is trying to salvage the truce? Regional mediators remain involved, and Hamas said Nickolay Mladenov had also been approached over the latest violence. In its September 2 statement, Hamas said mediators should compel Israel to uphold the existing ceasefire agreement. (aol.com) Reuters-based reporting said mediators had recently pushed a U.S.-backed formula under which Israeli troops would withdraw. Netanyahu's public rejection of that element leaves the withdrawal issue at the center of the next round of contacts. ### What comes next? September 3 coverage shows the immediate next step is diplomatic rather than procedural: mediators are expected to keep pressing both sides over implementation of the existing ceasefire terms. (aol.com) Hamas has already asked regional intermediaries and Mladenov to intervene, while Netanyahu has publicly set out Israel's refusal to withdraw. (anews.com.tr) The next public markers are likely to be statements from the mediators, any Israeli clarification of the U.S.-backed proposal, and updated casualty figures from Gaza health authorities. As of September 3, the most recent reported numbers remain the more than 900 killed this year and more than 1,300 killed since October 10. (rte.ie) (aol.com) (anews.com.tr)