JERUSALEM

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Wednesday that the backchannel U.S. Middle East peace plan known as the “Deal of Century” is a “waste of time”, according to Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post.

“The U.S. shouldn’t waste its time preparing a peace plan as the gap between Israel and the Palestinians is too great to bridge,” Shaked said at a Jerusalem conference organized by the newspaper.

She went on to assert that the deterrent capability that Israel achieved against Hamas following its 2014 onslaught on Gaza had eroded over the last two years.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Shaked believes that a ceasefire signed last week between Israel and Hamas-led resistance factions in Gaza will not hold for more than a few months.

“And when it collapses, Israel will likely have to use greater force than it did in previous rounds of fighting,” the justice minister said.

Within the last 10 days, at least 14 Palestinians across the blockaded Gaza Strip have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and artillery.

And early last week, an Israeli officer was killed -- and another injured -- during a botched ground incursion into the Hamas-run coastal enclave.

The violence eased slightly last Tuesday after an Egypt-brokered ceasefire deal came into effect between Israel and Hamas-led resistance factions.