Israel calls Hamas demands for hostage release 'ludicrous'

Israel has called a Hamas proposal for releasing hostages "ludicrous" as the militant Palestinian group wants Israel to release those responsible for murders and rapes on October 7 in exchange for the people it kidnapped.

"Hamas' ludicrous demand that the [Israel Defense Forces] fully withdraw from Gaza and that we release the Hamas ... rapists and murderers who committed the atrocities of October 7 in exchange for the release of our hostages," Avi Hyman, an Israeli government spokesman, said on Monday.

"And as if that's not enough, we were told that we would also have to establish a Palestinian state," Hyman said.

He said this would simply be "a capitulation to Hamas" disguised as a "peace agreement." It is essential for Israel to achieve "a full victory in this war," he said, adding that Israel cannot win the war "until Hamas is fully destroyed."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that "there is no genuine proposal" from Hamas in Gaza to release more hostages, but Israel has an initiative, which he refused to elaborate on.

His comments came as hostage relatives stormed a Knesset meeting in Jerusalem that had to be cancelled because of the protest. Relatives have been pushing hard for a new hostage deal.

Hyman said the families want a ceasefire in exchange for the hostages' release, but the Israeli government's position is that "there can be no path towards victory until Hamas is fully destroyed."

Netanyahu told the hostage familes that "contrary to what is said – there is no genuine proposal by Hamas, this is not true."

"On the other hand, there is our initiative, which I will not detail," Netanyahu said.