Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the war in Gaza will not end until Hamas is completely disarmed and the territory demilitarized.
Netanyahu made the statement on Saturday as Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, announced plans to hand over the remains of two more hostages that same night.
The Israeli army confirmed that a Red Cross team was on its way to receive “several” bodies shortly before 11:00 p.m. (20:00 GMT).
The issue of the hostages who died in Gaza has paralyzed the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, in which Israel links the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt with the return of the bodies.
Netanyahu emphasized that the second phase of the ceasefire was crucial to ending the conflict, saying that “Phase B also involves the disarmament of Hamas, or more precisely, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, following the stripping of Hamas of its weapons.”
“When that is successfully completed – hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a difficult way – then the war will end,” he added during an appearance on right-wing Israeli Channel 14.
Despite the truce, Hamas has continued to resist the disarmament plan and has begun to reassert its control over Gaza.
Under the ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas released the 20 hostages alive, along with the remains of nine Israelis and one Nepalese.
The latest delivery took place on Friday night and involved the body identified by Israel as Eliyahu Margalit, 75, who was killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
In return, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and freed 135 Palestinian bodies since the truce began on October 10.
Hamas said it needed more time and technical assistance to locate the remaining bodies buried under Gaza rubble. The al-Qassam Brigades said on Telegram that the two bodies scheduled to return on Saturday “were recovered today.”
Netanyahu linked the reopening of the Rafah crossing to Hamas’ compliance in returning the remains of all hostages.
The Palestinian mission in Cairo announced that Rafah could reopen on Monday, although initially only for Gazans living in Egypt and wishing to return home.
However, Netanyahu’s office later stated that he had “ordered that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice.”
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“Its reopening will be considered depending on how Hamas fulfills its part of returning the hostages and bodies of the deceased, and implementing the agreed framework,” he said, referring to the week-old ceasefire agreement.
The continued closure may complicate humanitarian efforts in the area. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who visited northern Gaza on Saturday, described the scene as catastrophic.
“I passed by here seven or eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and I saw the devastation – this is a big part of the city, just a vacant lot – and it’s absolutely devastating to see,” he told AFP.
(AFP)
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