Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified on Thursday, in an interview with Fox News’ Brett Baier, that Israel has not agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and will not agree to one unless hostages are released. Asked about the United States and how firm the push has been by President Joe Biden and his administration for the humanitarian pauses, Netanyahu replied, "Well, one thing we haven't agreed to is a ceasefire. A ceasefire with Hamas means surrender to Hamas, surrender to terror and the victory of Iran's axis of terror. So there won't be a ceasefire without the release of Israeli hostages.” "The fighting continues against the Hamas enemy, the Hamas terrorists, but in specific locations for a given period, a few hours here, a few hours there, we want to facilitate a safe passage of civilians away from the zone of fighting. And we're doing that," he explained. He also stressed that Israel has no interest in governing Gaza after the war. "We don't want to seek to govern Gaza. We don't seek to occupy, but we seek to give it and us a better future in the entire Middle East. And that requires defeating Hamas. I've set goals. I didn't set a timetable because, you know, it can take more time," Netanyahu told Baier. Netanyahu also pushed back against Rep Rashida Tlaib (R-MI), who claimed that the phrase “from the river to the sea” represented Palestinian Arab freedom and is not a call for Israel's extermination. Tlaib was censured by the House of the Representatives this week due to her anti-Israel statements. Related articles: 'We'll destroy Hamas rule and return the hostages' 'Affidavit full of lies, Bar is the father of the failure' Supreme Court grants extension for Ronen Bar's response Yair Lapid warns of political violence "Well, the river to the sea, from the river to the sea means there's no Israel, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, which is a tiny area, by the way, that encompasses Israel. There is no Israel. And so what this congresswoman is calling for is Palestine and genocide, the elimination of the Jewish state, the one and only Jewish state of the Jewish people," said Netanyahu. "That's absurd. And I salute the Congress for censuring her. But it's beyond that. I think the protest that you're seeing, I'm sure it includes some naive people, but there are a lot of people who know exactly what they're saying," he added.