In a televised address hours before the start of the ceasefire on Sunday (January 19), Netanyahu insisted that the ceasefire was “temporary” and that Israel still had the right to strike Gaza. In a warning ahead of a Gaza ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was ready to resume war against Hamas if talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire failed.
In a televised address hours before the start of the ceasefire on Sunday (January 19), Netanyahu insisted that the ceasefire was “temporary” and that Israel still had the right to strike Gaza.
Netanyahu then touted the successes of his recent 15-month military campaign, including the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. “We have changed the face of the Middle East and now Hamas is completely alone,” he said. The ceasefire is scheduled to take effect from 8:30 am local time on Sunday. Before Saturday’s speech, Netanyahu said Israel would not implement the deal until it received a list of prisoners released by Hamas. In a televised address, he said, Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. Israeli media have published a long list of 33 prisoners released by Hamas, but this has not yet been confirmed by authorities. However, the Israeli authorities said that the names of the 3 prisoners who were released on Sunday have not yet been found.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its airstrikes on Hamas and Islamic Jihad installations in Gaza. More than 120 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement was announced, Hamas officials said. In the next few weeks, 33 prisoners held by Hamas will be released in exchange for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. Under the terms of the deal, Israel will begin withdrawing its forces from Gaza.