Israeli “Opposition” Leader Lapid: Israel Should’ve Lied About Accepting Long Term Ceasefire Deal to Secure Captives and Then Resumed Genocide Lapid said the idea had strong U.S. support. In an interview with Haaretz, Israeli “opposition” leader Yair Lapid said Israel could have made a deal with Hamas to secure Israeli captives without intending to honor it, describing a plan for “Israeli subterfuge” and suggesting agreements with “terrorist organizations” are not binding. He claimed the idea had strong U.S. support but said Netanyahu “talked about it out loud,” spoiling the opportunity and forcing Israel to now abide by guarantees in any future deal. Lapid said returning the Israeli captives should be the immediate priority, even if it requires ending the war — a move he admitted “no one wants” because “we want to keep killing Hamas.” He emphasized that the “annihilation of Hamas” must remain a long-term goal and said Hamas would “sooner or later” provide Israel with “opportunities” that would justify renewing the assault in the eyes of the international community. On Iran, Lapid positioned himself as more hardline than Netanyahu, arguing Israel should have struck both Iran’s nuclear facilities and oil infrastructure after the April 2024 missile attack, even over U.S. objections.