Israel has right to attack Gaza after ceasefire: Netanyahu
Last Updated on January 20, 2025 6:35 am
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his forces are ready to resume fighting against the Palestinian militant group Hamas if the second phase of talks on a ceasefire collapses. He made the warning in a televised address hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, the BBC reported.
Netanyahu insisted the ceasefire was “short-lived” and that Israel reserved the right to attack Gaza again, with the backing of incoming US President Donald Trump.
In the speech, the Israeli prime minister also “praised” his forces’ successes in the past 15 months of fighting, including the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. He said “we have changed the face of the Middle East. Hamas is now completely alone.”
Before Saturday’s speech, Netanyahu had taken a firm stance on the terms of the deal, saying Israel would not implement the deal unless Hamas released a list of hostages.
He said Israel would not tolerate violations of the deal.
Israeli media have already published a list of 33 hostages that Hamas will release in the first phase, but Tel Aviv has not confirmed whether the list is accurate.
Hamas announced the names of the three hostages that will be released on Sunday. The ceasefire in Gaza came into effect at 11 a.m. local time.
Israel is also set to release 1,890 Palestinian prisoners in the first phase. In addition, it must begin withdrawing forces from Gaza.
More than 46,000 people in Gaza have died so far in the long war. Most of them are women and children.