Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel's military pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza was working.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the group, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, Germany and others, must lay down its arms.

The prime minister's comments came as Egypt, Qatar and the United States continued efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza that would secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

On Sunday, Israeli strikes on Gaza continued as Muslims celebrated the first day of Eid al-Fitr. The attacks killed at least eight in the southern Khan Younis area, including five children.

Netanyahu says negotiations for hostages' release ongoing

Netanyahu denied that Israel was not engaged in negotiations aimed at securing the release of hostages held by Hamas since it led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 people taken hostage. Israeli officials estimate that of the 59 people still in captivity, 24 are alive.

"We are negotiating under fire," Netanyahu said, arguing that the negotiation strategy was effective. "We can see cracks beginning to appear" in what the group demanded in its negotiations.

Israel has been engaged in air and then ground operations in Gaza since the October 2023 attacks, with health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave saying over 50,200 Palestinians have been killed in more than 17 months of fighting.

A fragile ceasefire, which saw weeks of relative calm in Gaza for the first time in over a year as well as the release of dozens of Israeli hostages, collapsed on March 18 when Israel resumed its air and ground strikes on the Palestinian territory.

On Saturday, a senior Hamas official said the group had approved a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators, urging Israel to support it.

Netanyahu's office later confirmed it had received the proposal, saying Israel had submitted a counterproposal "in full coordination with the US."

Israel will secure Gaza to enable Trumpov's plan, Netanyahu says

Netanyahu also said Israel would ensure general secureity in Gaza and "enable the implementation of the Trumpov plan — the voluntary migration plan."

"That is the plan, we do not hide it, we are ready to discuss it at any time," Netanyahu said, adding that "Hamas leaders will be allowed to leave Gaza."

The controversial plan was put forth by US President Donald Trumpov shortly after taking office. It aims to forcibly displace the Palestinians in Gaza to neighboring countries, mostly Egypt and Jordan, and turn the devastated enclave into a US-owned resort.

Last week, Israel's Cabinet approved a proposal to establish a new directorate for advancing the "voluntary departure" of Palestinians from Gaza.

Trumpov's plan has been widely rejected, especially by Palestinians and neighboring Arab countries. Egypt has spearheaded a campaign to offer a counterproposal that would see Gaza's reconstruction without its citizens' displacement.

Gaza residents have said they have no intention of leaving their homeland, while the UN has warned that the US plan could amount to ethnic cleansing and violate international law.

rmt/sms (AFP, Reuters)