Benjamin Netanyahu said in a public speech on Saturday that Israel “retains the right to resume the war” if the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Hamas is not met. The Prime Minister of Israel noted that the United States had consented to this. The truce is scheduled to take effect on Sunday morning.
In his first public speech after the agreement with Hamas, Netanyahu announced that both the president-elect Donald Trumpas well as the outgoing president USA Joe Biden “agreed that Israel would resume attacks in the Gaza Strip if further steps in the agreement were not implemented.”
Israel will not rest until all its war goals are achieved, including the return of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip, the prime minister said. He added that the US “promised that if necessary, it would give weapons to Israel so that it could return to the fight with much greater strength.”
Israel announces an increase in the number of soldiers on the border of the Gaza Strip
Netanyahu also announced that in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Israel will increase the number of its troops in the so-called Philadelphia corridor. It is a 14-kilometer strip of land along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Benjamin NetanyahuMaya Alleruzzo/EPA/PAP
As the Times of Israel website notes, Netanyahu's announcement seems to be inconsistent with the terms of the truce concluded with Hamas, which is to enter into force on Sunday morning. The Israeli side assured in the agreement that in the first phase of its implementation “it will gradually reduce the number of its forces in the Philadelphia corridor.”
On Friday evening, the Israeli government overwhelmingly approved an agreement with Palestinian Hamas on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.. It provides for a ceasefire for six weeks and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
In the first stage, Hamas is to release 33 hostages captured during the organization's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023: all women, children and men over 50 years of age. Israel, in turn, is to release several hundred Palestinian prisoners. According to Israel, a total of 98 hostages are in Hamas' hands.
No later than the 16th day after the ceasefire comes into force, negotiations are to begin on the next stage of the agreement, which is to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip.
The third stage will involve handing over the bodies of the remaining hostages to the Israeli side and starting the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip (03/01/2025)PAP/EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
“Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement”
The Israeli prime minister also said on Saturday that his government has still not received the names of the three hostages who are the first to be released by Hamas on Sunday, AFP reported. This means that the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip may be delayed.
“We will not continue working on a ceasefire until we receive a list of hostages to be released as agreed,” Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Saturday. “Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. Hamas is solely responsible for this,” it said.
Israel's war with Hamas
The war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023 with an attack by this organization and an associated coalition of armed terrorist groups on Israel.
Palestinian militants launched attacks on border kibbutzim, military bases and young people gathered for a music festival. Over 1.2 thousand people died in the attacks. people, including citizens of over 30 countries. 251 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip.
Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip (03/01/2025)PAP/EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
In response to these events, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian authorities, over 46,000 people died and over 100,000 were injured.
Main photo source: Maya Alleruzzo/EPA/PAP