Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the conflict in Gaza will not come to an end until Hamas has been completely stripped of its weapons and the territory is demilitarised.
Speaking on Israeli Channel 14 on Saturday, Netanyahu stressed that the completion of the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire deal depends on Hamas disarming. “Once Hamas is disarmed and Gaza is demilitarised — whether easily or through more difficult means — the war will end,” he said.
His comments came as Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, announced plans to return the remains of two additional hostages to the Red Cross. Israeli authorities confirmed that a Red Cross team was en route to receive several bodies late Saturday night.
The return of deceased hostages has become a major sticking point in the implementation of the ceasefire, with Israel linking the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to Hamas’s cooperation on the issue.
Under the truce mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump, Hamas has so far released 20 living hostages and the remains of 10 others, while Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and handed over 135 Palestinian bodies.
Despite reports that the Rafah crossing could reopen on Monday for Gazans residing in Egypt, Netanyahu’s office later ordered it to remain closed “until further notice,” citing Hamas’s failure to fully comply with the terms of the agreement.
Meanwhile, humanitarian operations are underway across Gaza, where hundreds of aid trucks continue to enter daily through Israeli checkpoints. The UN’s humanitarian relief chief, Tom Fletcher, described the scale of devastation as “vast” and outlined plans to deliver food, tents, and medical support to affected residents over the next 60 days.
However, sporadic violence persists. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that nine members of the Shaaban family, including four children, were killed after Israeli tank fire struck their vehicle. The Israeli military claimed the troops acted in self-defence after the vehicle allegedly posed a threat near a restricted area.
