Netanyahu said he believes it is essential that the Israeli-controlled Philadelphia Corridor, a strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border, remains under Israeli control as part of the ceasefire agreement. Israel has long alleged that Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza through tunnels under the border.

He called the corridor “Hamas oxide,” given its importance in preventing Hamas from smuggling weapons and other supplies underground.

The Israeli prime minister said he understood the importance of freeing the remaining hostages but refused to back down: “No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than I am. But no one will lecture me.”

Six Israeli hostages were recently found dead in Gaza, outraging some in Israel and sparking large protests across the country. The White House continued to pressure Netanyahu to strike a deal with Hamas.

Among the dead hostages was Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American who was the center of attention at the Democratic National Convention when his parents spoke about his capture and called for his release. His mother and father, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jonathan Polin, gave eulogies in Jerusalem.

“In the midst of inexplicable suffering, terror, suffering, despair and fear, we became absolutely certain that you would return to us alive. But you didn’t,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin said in her eulogy. “If there was anything we could have done to save you and we didn’t, I ask for your forgiveness. We tried so hard, so deeply and so desperately. I’m sorry.”

President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” by the death of Hersh Goldberg-Polin in a statement on X. On Monday, he answered “no” when asked whether Netanyahu had done enough to secure an agreement with Hamas. Some of the hostages killed over the weekend, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were expected to be released as part of the deal.

Despite Biden’s words, U.S. officials said last month that Israel had agreed to the bridge proposal and that the responsibility for doing the same rested with Hamas.

Ceasefire talks are continuing, and Biden could propose a take-it-or-leave-it deal to Israel as early as this week, according to NBC News.

While Netanyahu may be resisting the United States’ desire for an immediate agreement, Israeli citizens were particularly concerned about the hostage deaths. Thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest and demand an agreement with Hamas over the hostages. The protests were largely peaceful, but protesters broke through police lines at various points and additional measures, such as water cannons, were necessary.

Hamas’s response to the hostage killings blamed the IDF advance on its positions. In a message posted on Telegram, Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida said soldiers assigned to the prisoners had been ordered to “deal with them” if the IDF got too close.

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Hamas delivered a stern message to Netanyahu about what will happen if he does not propose a hostage deal.

“Netanyahu’s insistence on releasing the prisoners through military pressure rather than a deal means that they will be returned to their families in coffins, and their families will have to choose whether they are dead or alive,” the spokesman said.