Netanyahu promises to put pressure on Hamas over the remaining hostages as Israel prepares a new response to Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu promises to return all dead hostages from Gaza and issues a warning that Israel will relaunch its military campaign in the event of an attack.
Israel will continue to confront terrorism “with full force,” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has pledged to keep up pressure on Hamas to find and return the bodies of hostages still held in Gaza.
Netanyahu declared he was “determined” to ensure the repatriation of all remaining captives’ remains and to stop any rebirth of terrorism while speaking at a memorial service in Jerusalem for the victims of the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
At the Mount Herzl National Cemetery, Netanyahu declared, “We will continue to fight terrorism with all of our might.” “Evil will not be permitted to manifest itself. We will hold anyone who hurts us accountable for their actions.
His remarks were made just hours after Hamas gave the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City the bodies of two other Israeli hostages, identified as Inbar Hayman and Sgt Maj Muhammad al-Atarash. According to Israeli police, their recovery raises the total number of remains returned to nine out of 28.
Hamas stated that it was still looking for the other 19 bodies and that finding them would require “specialist equipment.” However, Israel has charged the organization with breaking the ceasefire deal from last week and threatens to stop providing humanitarian goods to Gaza until all of the remains have been found.
Israeli advocacy group Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on the government to halt the ceasefire agreement until Hamas complies.
American officials have played down allegations that Hamas broke the agreement, despite growing ire in Israel. On Thursday, two of President Donald Trump’s top advisors stated that the ceasefire’s next phase was still being prepared.
Reporters were informed by the advisers that the United States thinks Hamas has “acted in good faith” by releasing information regarding missing bodies and working with mediators. Recovery attempts have been difficult by the destruction throughout Gaza, they noted, adding that citizens who know the locations of the remains should be rewarded.
Though he reaffirmed his objection to sending American forces into Gaza, Trump also offered his thoughts on the matter, writing on Truth Social that if Hamas “continues to kill people,” the US will “have no choice but to go in and kill.”
As part of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released 20 live hostages Monday in return for 1,718 detainees from Gaza and 250 Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli prisons. The accord also permitted the bodies of hostages murdered during the conflict to be returned gradually.
According to a leaked copy of the agreement that appeared in Israeli media, it allows for delays in the recovery of remains from places that are inaccessible because of intense shelling.
After Hamas-led terrorists killed around 1,200 persons in southern Israel and captured 251 prisoners on October 7, 2023, Israel began its military campaign in Gaza. According to the UN-recognized Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli strikes have now killed at least 67,967 Palestinians.
As part of the continuing exchange, authorities in Gaza are attempting to identify Palestinian bodies that Israel has returned in recent days. On Thursday, a further thirty bodies were turned over, increasing the total to 120.
The Rafah border crossing with Egypt has been closed since Israeli forces took control of the Gaza side in May 2024, but Israeli officials revealed that plans were on to restore it.
The crossing will reopen “for the movement of people only” after coordination with Egypt is finished, according to a spokesman for COGAT, Israel’s military liaison to Palestinian territories. However, the spokesperson emphasized that humanitarian aid would still enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and other Israeli crossings after security checks.
