For more than two weeks, uncertainty surrounded whether Hamas’s August 18 announcement — that it had accepted a proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages — referred to the plan put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, which was said to incorporate Israeli demands.
Now, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel tells Alhurra the Hamas announcement was “a plan they invented themselves,” not the Witkoff proposal. She stressed that Israel had never agreed to what Hamas claimed.
Haskel accused Hamas of stalling while “starving, abusing and torturing” hostages, leaving Israel with “no other choice but to go in and get them” by force. Her remarks are among the clearest yet from a senior Israeli official on why negotiations collapsed and the war continues.
Looking ahead, she said any future arrangement in Gaza must ensure Hamas is permanently disarmed and that security remains in Israeli hands, while daily life would be managed by “a non-Israeli civilian entity.” She added that settlement in Gaza is not currently on the government’s agenda, but discussion of a “security strip” to protect Israeli border towns remains necessary to prevent a repeat of October 7.
On the West Bank, Haskel said annexation is “not on the government’s agenda,” but linked the debate to the Palestinian Authority’s push at the United Nations for recognition of a Palestinian state, which she said has spurred parallel discussions inside Israel.
Asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reference to “Greater Israel,” which angered neighboring states, Haskel insisted Israel seeks cooperation, not expansion. “Israel is a peace-loving nation,” she said, but “we will not commit suicide, like the disengagement from Gaza, in order to appease a terrorist organization.”
Turning north, Haskel accused Hezbollah of attempting to rearm under the eyes of UN peacekeepers, who she said had “completely failed their mission.” She warned that if the Lebanese army cannot enforce UN Resolution 1701, Israel will “continue to do it ourselves.”
She added that Iran continues to fund Hezbollah and intervene in Lebanon politically and militarily, and dismissed the prospect of establishing joint economic zones along the border for now, saying too many steps would be needed before such an arrangement could be possible.
On Syria, Haskel said Israel has secured a buffer zone to contain jihadist threats and that any future engagement would depend on deeds, not rhetoric. “We will judge everything by the actions and not by the statements,” she said, pointing to President Ahmed al-Sharaa as part of the region’s jihadist history and stressing that Israel will assess him by his conduct on the ground, not by public statements.
Regarding Suwayda, she affirmed Israel’s commitment to the humanitarian corridor from the Golan Heights into the province, but said future arrangements would depend on developments on the ground. She noted that calls by some Druze leaders for the creation of a “special entity” are being closely monitored and that Israel’s position will be determined “by actions, not words.”
Marking the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, Haskel praised them as “an incredible bridge of cooperation” that demonstrated Arab states could normalize relations with Israel despite regional crises. She said additional countries remain “interested” in joining.
