Egypt Daily News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is preparing for the next stages of the war during a general session of the Knesset, where he was repeatedly interrupted by opposition lawmakers and families of the hostages.
In his speech, Netanyahu clarified that Israel does not intend to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, saying, “The gap between us and Hamas in the second phase is unbridgeable.”
The first phase of the agreement ended last Saturday, but Israel refrained from entering negotiations for the second phase, contrary to the agreement’s terms. It also closed crossings, prevented aid from entering Gaza, and threatened to resume the war.
Netanyahu said, “We are preparing for the next stages of the war of resurgence on seven fronts. We will not stop until we achieve all our victory objectives, bring back all our captives, destroy Hamas’s power, and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.”
He denied that his government had violated the agreement with Hamas, stating that the agreement allows Israel “the option to return to fighting from day 42 if we feel negotiations are futile.”
Repeated Threats
Netanyahu further warned, “We tell Hamas that if you do not release our hostages, there will be consequences you cannot bear.”
He added that U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is working to secure the release of all remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza in two phases as part of a new American proposal that Israel has accepted. However, Washington has not officially announced this proposal, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.
Meanwhile, Hamas accused Israel of committing hundreds of violations of the ceasefire agreement during the first phase and warned that Israel is trying to “hide behind the American position” to resume its aggression.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a televised speech on Monday, “The occupation’s behavior and its violations of the agreement in the first phase prove beyond doubt that the occupation government was intent on collapsing the agreement and worked hard to achieve this.”
Hamdan argued that Netanyahu’s recent decision to adopt the American proposals for extending the first phase of the agreement is “an obvious attempt to evade the agreement and avoid entering negotiations for the second phase.”
