Netanyahu warns Hamas against holding up ceasefire, hints Gaza war will resume

Defending controversial ceasefire plan against criticism from the Right, Netanyahu says hostage deal frozen until Hamas gives details of hostages’ condition.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out Saturday night in defense of his government’s decision to ratify the hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas over the weekend, raising the ire of many on the Israeli Right.

In a televised address at 8:10 p.m., Netanyahu emphasized the return of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, adding that his government would not compromise on the two other goals formally adopted by the cabinet following the October 7th invasion of Israel.

“It is this strength that has led us with determination to achieve all of the objectives of the war that we set: Returning all of our hostages, eliminating Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to our country,” Netanyahu said.

“As of today, we have returned home 157 of our hostages, 117 of whom alive. Under the agreement that has now been approved, we will return home another 33 of our brothers and sisters, most of them alive.”

Despite the deal’s provision for negotiations to make the truce permanent, Netanyahu said the incoming Trump administration supported limiting the ceasefire, making it “temporary.”

Trump “welcomed the agreement and rightly emphasized that the first stage of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire. That is what he said, ‘a temporary ceasefire’.”

Netanyahu said that Israel had received explicit U.S. backing to resume the war in Gaza “if necessary,” denying that the agreement commits Israel to a permanent end to the war.

“For many months, Hamas demanded that we promise in advance to end the war as a condition for its entering a framework for the release of the hostages, and it set all kinds of additional dictated terms. I strongly opposed these dictated terms – and my position was accepted. We retain the right to return to the war, if necessary, with the backing of the U.S.”

The agreement, set to go into effect Sunday morning at 8:30, includes a three-stage ceasefire, during which all of the 98 captives – alive and dead – still held in the Gaza Strip are to be returned to Israel.

During the first stage, which will last for six weeks, 33 Israeli hostages are slated to be freed in exchange for hundreds of jailed Palestinian terrorists, with 30 terrorists to be released for each Israeli civilian and 50 for each female IDF soldier returned to Israel.

The 33 hostages slated for return to Israel during the first six weeks include both living and dead captives, with Israeli officials estimating that 25 of the captives on the list are still alive. Eight others are believed to be dead, though Hamas has yet to hand over information on the hostages’ condition.

Prior to Netanyahu’s address Saturday night, the Prime Minister’s Office warned Hamas that the implementation of the hostage deal cannot move forward until Israel receives the list of hostages set to be released Sunday afternoon.

“We will be unable to move forward with the framework until we receive the list of the hostages who will be released, as was agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. Hamas is solely responsible.”

On Sunday morning, the PMO reiterated that Netanyahu has ordered that the ceasefire not be implemented until the list of hostages is received.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security assessment overnight regarding the delay in receiving the list of hostages who are expected to be released.”

“The Prime Minister directed the IDF that the ceasefire, which is due to take effect at 08:30, will not begin as long as Israel does not have the list of hostages who are to be released, which Hamas has committed to provide.”

In addition, the deal provides for the massive expansion of international aid into the Gaza Strip, guaranteeing at least 600 aid trucks will enter the coastal enclave each day to deliver goods and fuel.

The IDF will partially withdraw from key positions in Gaza, including the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, and allow the return en masse of Gazans to northern Gaza.

While a joint team assembled by Qatar and Egypt will be assigned to use X-ray machines to check vehicles for weapons, pedestrians walking north will not be subjected to any security checks.

In his Saturday night address, Netanyahu did not mention the planned withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor, but he denied claims that the ceasefire deal required Israel to pullout from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.

“And the third principle – keeping the Philadelphi Corridor and the security buffer zone. When I say keeping the Philadelphi Corridor, not only will we not reduce our forces there, we will even increase them slightly, and this is contrary to all of the reports that I hear.

“We promised in the agreement that Israel would keep full control in the Philadelphi Corridor and the security buffer around the entire Gaza Strip. We will not allow war materiel to be smuggled in, nor will we allow our hostages to be smuggled out.”

Benjamin NetanyahuGaza ceasefireHamashostage deal