In his first speech after the agreement, the prime minister said that Israel could resume fighting if phases of the truce were not fulfilled
In his first speech since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the Prime Minister of Israel, called this Saturday (18 January 2025) the truce of “temporary” and declared that the country may resume fighting if the phases of the agreement are not met.
“If necessary, we reserve the right to resume the war with American support. If we are forced to resume the war, we will do so with force.”Netanyahu stated in a televised speech.
The prime minister said he had received support from both the US president (Democrat) and the elected official (Republican) to resume the offensive in Gaza if Hamas does not comply with the agreement. He also said that Israel is behind its goals and will not rest until they are all accomplished.
The truce between Israel and Hamas is expected to come into effect on Sunday (19 January). It will be in 3 stages:
- 1st phase – Free Hamas prioritizing women, children and the elderly; Israel releases 95 Palestinian prisoners;
- 2nd phase – begins on the 16th day of the agreement – on February 3rd. Includes the departure of the other 65 hostages from Israel;
- 3rd phase – return of the bodies of the victims and the beginning of the reconstruction of Gaza.
“We are thinking about all our hostages. I promise we will achieve all our goals and bring back all the hostages.”he declared.
The prime minister said he will not proceed with the ceasefire until he receives a list of the 33 Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas. “Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement”.
One of the requirements of the agreement is that the names of the hostages who will be released be released 24 hours in advance, that is, this Saturday (January 18) it must be confirmed who will be in the first delivery.
According to Netanyahu, the “right to fight again if necessary” it was 1 of the 3 points on which the Israeli delegation remained firm during the negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the USA.
Netanyahu also said that Israel insisted on maintaining a post in the so-called Philadelphia Corridor, on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
