Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on Oct. 28, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Abir Sultan / Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a cease-fire plan delivered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas to end the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu called the plan "delusional" and noted that it would have left Hamas in power of the Gaza Strip at the end of the phased truce.
"It will just invite another massacre," Netanyahu said at a news conference hours after meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken says he's in the region to press for a cease-fire that allows more aid into Gaza and a release of hostages held by Hamas there. Hamas also wants the release of thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israel launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza to crush Hamas, which has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
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