JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that any Gaza peace deal that weakens Israel and leaves it unable to defend itself against hostile neighbours would be unacceptable.

Benjamin Netanyahu pledges 'safe passage' for Rafah civilians

A potential peace agreement "that makes Israel so weak and unable to defend itself" would "set peace backwards and not forward," he said during a joint press appearance with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Jerusalem, reiterating that "Israel has to have the necessary security responsibility" in Gaza.