Netanyahu issues warning ahead of Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel is prepared to resume its war against Hamas if negotiations for a second phase of a ceasefire fail. In a televised address delivered hours before the Sunday ceasefire went into effect, he emphasized that the truce was "temporary" and that Israel reserves the right to renew attacks in Gaza, a stance he said was supported by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Netanyahu also outlined what he described as the successes of Israel's military operations over the past 15 months, including the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. “We have changed the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said, adding that Hamas is now “completely isolated.” The ceasefire was scheduled to take effect at 8:30 am local time (06:30 GMT).

Prior to his Saturday address, Netanyahu stated that Israel would not implement the agreement until it received a list of hostages Hamas was set to release. "Israel will not tolerate any violations of the agreement," he said. Israeli media has published a longer list of 33 hostages to be released by Hamas, though this has not been officially confirmed. However, Israeli authorities have stated that they have not yet received the list of three hostages to be released on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Israel continued its airstrikes on what it claimed were Hamas and Islamic Jihad strongholds in Gaza. Hamas officials have stated that more than 120 people have been killed since the deal was announced on Wednesday. Over the coming weeks, 33 hostages will be released in exchange for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will also begin withdrawing troops from Gaza. The location of the first hostage handover is not yet clear. A senior Israeli military official said that three reception points have been prepared near the northern, central and southern borders of Gaza.

Earlier, a source close to Hamas told AFP that the first three hostages to be released would be women. Negotiations on the terms of the second phase of the ceasefire are scheduled to begin on the 16th day of the first phase and will focus on achieving a "permanent end to the war". Details of the second phase agreement remain uncertain, but it is expected that the remaining hostages, including men, will be released at that time, along with the release of more Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Israeli forces will also fully withdraw from Gaza. It is understood that Hamas police, who will not carry weapons unless absolutely necessary, will be responsible for managing the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.

The third and final phase will involve the reconstruction of Gaza, which could take years, as well as the return of the remains of any remaining hostages. Two far-right cabinet ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, voted against the deal. The agreement’s lengthy structure has also caused anxiety and division among the families of the hostages. Some fear that their loved ones will be abandoned in Gaza after the first phase ends. On Saturday evening, thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, demanding that the government secure the further release of hostages by adhering to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

“We could have saved the lives of 200 soldiers and more than 10 hostages,” Gal Alkalai, a member of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, told Reuters. She added that people have died unnecessarily because the government "failed to make decisions and waited for Trump." Earlier on Saturday, a knife attack near a restaurant in Tel Aviv left several people injured, according to Israeli police. The attacker was reportedly shot and killed at the scene by a civilian. Israeli media said the suspect had arrived in Tel Aviv “illegally” from Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.

Since the ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday evening, Palestinians in Gaza have not had a respite. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 123 people, including dozens of women and children, have been killed in attacks since then. On Saturday, the Hamas-run civil defense rescue agency in Gaza said that at least five members of one family were killed when a bomb hit their tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, according to AFP. Since Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military has stated that they have struck 100 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, among several "terrorist targets" in attacks across Gaza.

The Israeli military launched an operation to destroy Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and other countries, in response to the unprecedented cross-border attacks on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken hostage. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in the region, approximately 46,899 people have been killed in Gaza since then. Most of the 2.3 million population have also been displaced, with widespread destruction and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter due to difficulties in delivering aid to those in need.