Ron Dermer, Israel's minister of strategic affairs, told Newsmax on Wednesday the Department of Justice's indictment of Iranian-backed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior terrorists involved in the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel is a step in the right direction.
But Dermer told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" that the U.S. needs to lead a global effort to let Hamas know that its execution of six hostages taken during its terrorist attack — including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin — was unacceptable and to pressure the group to agree to a cease-fire deal in Gaza in which the remaining hostages will be returned.
"It was good that the United States and the Justice Department brought charges against Hamas leaders," Dermer said, regarding Tuesday's announcement. "That's a good step.
"Right now, the United States should lead a global effort against Hamas to let Hamas know that what they did is totally unacceptable. And then maybe we have a chance for them to try to do this deal, to be willing to go into a deal, to make the compromises and the concessions they have to make."
In November, Israel and Hamas agreed to a six-day cease-fire of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, with 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza being exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Since then, there have been cease-fire proposals brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar so the remaining hostages can be returned to Israel, but Hamas reportedly would not sign off on them.
Since the six hostages were executed, Israelis have marched in the streets in protest; but Netanyahu has been steadfast in demanding any cease-fire deal must include continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip along Gaza's border with Egypt where Israel found tunnels that it contends Hamas used to smuggle weapons into Gaza. He reportedly said, "No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than me."
Dermer pushed back on the notion that the Israeli government is standing in the way of a cease-fire deal, saying it's "nonsense" and "totally false."
"At no point has there been a deal that Hamas has agreed to, and we have several issues that are still outstanding that we have to close," Dermer said. "But the impression here is Israel's government for this or that reason is not willing to do a deal that's there.
"It's just not true. The prime minister of Israel [Benjamin Netanyahu] wants a deal. I want a deal. The security cabinet wants a deal.
"We want to bring it home, but we cannot afford, in the wake of six people being executed, to compromise on critical positions for our security in the wake of that — executions — because it also will endanger the [remaining] hostages. ... We have to stand firm," he said.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu is standing firm. The United States should back his position, back a position that is accepted by the overwhelming majority of Israelis to try to drive a deal home."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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