The White House-brokered deal could end Israel's two-year war with Hamas, but only if the terrorist group proves it's serious by immediately releasing all hostages, Caroline Glick, an international affairs adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Newsmax on Sunday.
"We assess this is a very serious deal," Glick said in an interview on Newsmax's "Sunday Report." "Hamas has, as Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump have both said, a very limited amount of time to make good on its pledge to immediately release all of the hostages it has been holding in Gaza. We'll see whether that actually happens."
If Hamas moves to free the captives, she added, that would be "the first indication that the war can end," because the conflict "can't end so long as Hamas continues to hold the hostages."
Glick said the conflict has become a fight for Israel's survival, noting the country has been at war since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
"We saw what the stakes were on Oct. 7, and Hamas simply can't be allowed to continue to exist in Gaza as either a regime or a military force," she said.
Glick repeated the three goals the government set at the start of the war: return all hostages, destroy Hamas as a regime and military force in Gaza, and prevent Gaza from ever again threatening Israel, adding that many Israelis believe an agreement could achieve those aims.
However, if Hamas refuses, Israel will pursue a harsher campaign, she said.
"We can do this the easy way by going forward with this deal, or we can do it the hard way," Glick said, citing comments by Netanyahu and Trump.
If the deal fails, Israel will continue the fight, she stressed.
"If it goes forward, it will be the opening for a regional peace. And if it doesn't, then we'll just continue until Hamas is destroyed," Glick said.
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