‘If it means surrendering to Hamas, we will not be part of it’
Israeli lawmakers weigh in on the prospects of a ceasefire with the terrorist organization.
Any ceasefire or post-war arrangement regarding Gaza must meet specific criteria outlined by the Cabinet, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said on Sunday.
“Three essential goals must be achieved,” Karhi told JNS. “First, the return of all hostages; second, the elimination of Hamas’s governing and military capabilities; and third, ensuring that the Gaza Strip no longer poses a threat to the State of Israel.”
He added that, beyond these objectives, U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle Gazans who so wish in other countries is “a significant and worthwhile initiative that should also be pursued.”
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi during an Economic Affairs Committee meeting in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, Dec. 18, 2024.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump called for an agreement to return Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
“Make the deal in Gaza. Get the hostages back!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In response, Israeli lawmakers warned on Sunday that their parties may exit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition if a deal is reached to end the war while Hamas remains in power.
“If it means surrendering to Hamas, we will not be part of it,” Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot told JNS.
“We all want to end the war in Gaza. The question is, how do we end it?” he continued. “If there is no longer any Hamas presence and there is no longer any threat to the State of Israel, everyone will be happy. But if it means the threat remains, we will not allow it to happen, and it will not happen.”
MK Zvi Sukkot leads the Subcommittee for Judea and Samaria at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 12, 2024.
Likud MK Shalom Danino told JNS that Trump is exerting pressure on all parties to reach an agreement. “This is an important and noble goal, and it certainly is in line with the Israeli interest,” Danino said.
He echoed Karhi’s position, however, emphasizing that a ceasefire can only be considered viable if three key conditions are met: Hamas must demonstrate both the capacity and the willingness to release all hostages; the group must be removed from power in Gaza; and the territory must cease to pose any threat to Israel.
On Friday, Trump indicated that a ceasefire-for-captives agreement could be hammered out in the near future.
“I think it’s close. I just spoke to some of the people involved. We think within the next week we’re going to get a ceasefire,” the president told reporters gathered at the White House.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets in Washington with families of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, June 27, 2025.
MK Moshe Tur-Paz of the opposition Yesh Atid Party urged the government to pursue a deal, contingent on clear security guarantees, amid the humanitarian situation in Gaza and as the condition of Israeli hostages worsens.
He believes a deal is now feasible with U.S. mediation, particularly in light of Iran’s weakened position.
“We, the opposition, if this happens, will provide backup [to the Netanyahu government],” Tur-Paz told JNS.
“If this does not happen, we may continue to be dragged into this conflict and pay a heavy price in the lives of soldiers while getting nowhere,” he said.
He outlined a series of conditions under which such an agreement would be acceptable, including the IDF establishing a security perimeter within Gaza—similar to arrangements in Lebanon and Syria—and maintaining control of the strategic Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.
Tur-Paz also called for the formation of a governing authority in Gaza that includes participation from Arab states and the Palestinian Authority.
Netanyahu has consistently dismissed the idea of allowing the Mahmoud Abbas-led P.A. to assume any role in Gaza after the war.
Knesset member Zvika Fogel leads a National Security Committee meeting at the Knesset on May 3, 2023.
MK Zvika Fogel, parliamentary whip for the Otzma Yehudit Party, told JNS, “If a ceasefire results in the return of all the hostages—without exception—and the IDF can resume fighting within a defined timeframe of up to 60 days, it’s a difficult deal, but one we could accept.
“Ending the war at this stage would send a dangerous message to all our enemies, that we are weak, and could become an existential threat to the State of Israel,” he continued. “If such a decision is indeed made, we will reconsider our position” regarding remaining in the governing coalition.
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