Netanyahu Reiterates Commitment to Destroy Hamas and Secure Release of All Hostages

On Saturday, January 29, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized Israel's determination to destroy Hamas's military and governmental capabilities, ensure permanent security from Gaza, and secure the return of all hostages. In a message to Israeli citizens, Netanyahu highlighted three fundamental principles of the agreement: maintaining the ability to return to war, increasing the number of live hostages in the early stages of their release, and ensuring full Israeli control over the Philadelphi route and security buffer zones in Gaza. He stated, 'We will not allow weapons to be smuggled into Gaza and hostages to be transferred out of this area.' He described Hamas's October 7 attack as 'the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust' and asserted, 'In this war, we have shown our enemies and the world that when the Israeli nation is united, no force can defeat it. This strong spirit of our nation is what leads us to success.' Netanyahu also expressed condolences to grieving families and war victims while referring to the military successes of the country, stating, 'We have eliminated Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, as well as Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah leaders, and have severely weakened the military capabilities of Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Iran axis.' Netanyahu thanked the Biden administration and the Trump administration for their cooperation in reaching this agreement, stating, 'Both presidents have fully supported Israel's right to return to war if negotiations fail.' Meanwhile, Itamar Ben-Gvir, an extreme right-wing politician, reacted to Netanyahu's statements by calling for the prevention of the second phase of the agreement. Ben-Gvir stated, 'Unfortunately, the Prime Minister personally confirmed tonight that Israel has no commitment to return to war and said that if necessary, we will return to war. Given that Hamas has not yet been defeated, we must certainly return to war.' Concurrently, the Israeli army announced preparations for a gradual withdrawal from certain areas of Gaza in line with the ceasefire agreement and hostage exchange. A military official stated that currently, Division 162 is stationed in northern Gaza and Division 143 in the south, while Division 99 is responsible for security in the Netzarim corridor, and all these soldiers will be gradually relocated as the agreement progresses. This military official once again warned Gaza residents to avoid approaching areas under Israeli control. The U.S. President-elect, in a phone interview with NBC on Saturday, stated, 'I told the Prime Minister of Israel that while I am eager to end the war between Israel and Hamas, I support any decision you make.' Donald Trump also warned both sides against failing to adhere to the ceasefire and hostage release agreement, stating that if Palestinian groups, including Hamas, adhere to their commitments, the agreement will remain intact, but if they breach it, 'hell will break loose.' Netanyahu stated, 'We will not cease our efforts until the last hostage is returned.' Netanyahu's condition for implementing the agreement is the announcement of the names of the first hostages by Hamas. The Israeli army intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles from the Houthis. The names of 33 Israeli hostages for release in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement were published. Israel has finally confirmed the 'agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages.' Golani stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah are no longer present in Syria. Netanyahu also mentioned that Hamas has violated some terms of the ceasefire agreement.