Benjamin Netanyahu said in a public speech on Saturday that Israel “reserves the right to resume war” if the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Hamas is not implemented. The Prime Minister of Israel noted that the United States agreed to this. The agreement is scheduled to come into force on Sunday morning.
In his first speech since reaching the deal with Hamas, Netanyahu said that both US President-elect Donald Trump and current US President Joe Biden “have agreed that if the further steps in this agreement are not met, Israel will launch attacks.” it will resume in the Gaza Strip.”
The Prime Minister said that Israel will not rest until all its war goals are achieved, including the return of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. He added that the U.S. “promised to provide Israel with weapons if necessary to return to the war with more force.”
Israel reported 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 forces in the so-called. Corridor of Philadelphia. It is a 14-kilometer land line on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Benjamin Netanyahu Maya Alleruzzo/EPA/PAP
As the “Times of Israel” website points out, Netanyahu’s statement does not comply with the terms of the ceasefire signed with Hamas, which will come into force on Sunday morning. The Israeli side assured in the agreement that in the first stage of its implementation “it will gradually reduce the number of its troops in the corridor of Philadelphia”.
On Friday evening, the Israeli government with the majority of votes approved the agreement with the Palestinian Hamas on the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. It envisages a six-week ceasefire and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
In the first phase, Hamas must release 33 hostages who were captured during the organization’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023: all women, children and men over 50 years old. Israel, in turn, releases several hundred Palestinian prisoners. According to Israel, a total of 98 hostages are in the hands of Hamas.
No later than the 16th day after the ceasefire comes into force, negotiations on the next phase of the agreement, namely the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, should begin. .
The third phase involves handing over the bodies of the remaining hostages to Israel and beginning the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip (03/01/2025) PAP/EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
“Israel will not tolerate the violation of the agreement”
According to the AFP news agency, the Prime Minister of Israel also said on Saturday that his government has not yet received the names of the three hostages who were the first to be released by Hamas on Sunday. This means that the signing of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip may be delayed.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Saturday that “we will not continue working towards a ceasefire until we receive a list of hostages who are due to be released.” “Israel will not tolerate the violation of the agreement. Hamas is solely responsible for this,” the report said.
Israel’s war with Hamas
The war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023 with the attack of this organization and a coalition of armed terrorist groups on Israel.
Palestinian militants attacked border kibbutzim, military bases and young people gathered at a music festival. More than 1.2 thousand people were killed in these attacks. people, including citizens of more than 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 incidents, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Authority, more than 46,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 were injured.
Main photo credit: Maya Alleruzzo/EPA/PAP
