Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the Israel-Gaza war is not over, warning that Hamas remains a threat despite a fragile ceasefire.
According to a report from TRIBUNE ONLINE, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, that the Israel-Gaza war “has not ended.” Netanyahu warned that Israel’s enemies were regrouping, saying, “Those who seek to do us harm are re-arming. They did not give up their aim of destroying us.”
He vowed that Hamas “will be disarmed” and “Gaza will be demilitarized,” adding, “It will either happen the easy way, or it will happen the hard way. But it will happen.”
Citing ABC News, the report stated that four deceased hostages are still believed to be in Gaza after the body of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza war, was returned on Sunday. Israeli authorities have been exchanging the bodies of Palestinians for the remains of Israeli hostages.
As of Saturday, Israel had returned 300 Palestinian bodies to Gaza, but only 89 have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
While the ceasefire largely holds in Gaza, Israel has continued strikes on what it describes as Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu’s remarks come amid renewed regional tensions and efforts to secure the return of all hostages.