Netanyahu says Palestinian evacuees won’t be allowed to return in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on his hardline stance over Gaza, telling the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that forcefully displaced Palestinians “will not return” to their homes, reported Israeli journalist, Abraham Friend, the political correspondent for the 'Behadrei Haredim.'

"They will not be there – we will control there,” he said on Sunday. “There is no other target,” he added in comments that are likely to only confirm fears that Palestinians have had that Israel intends to ethnically cleanse the besiged Strip.

On ceasefire negotiations, Netanyahu seemed to confirm ongoing “This week there is a discussion about a deal,” Netanyahu said during the closed-door committee meeting. “We are talking about a deal for half of the kidnapped alive. There is a possibility that soldier Idan Alexander will be released separately because he is an American citizen – we welcome anything like that.”

The remarks come amid renewed diplomatic efforts to secure the release of captives held in Gaza, with reports indicating that a partial agreement could be in reach.

Netanyahu speaking on plans to re-establish Israeli settlements in Gaza said “I know there are those with dreams of Jewish settlement in Gaza – I don’t want to disappoint them.”