Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Thursday the nation’s “struggle is not over,” simply days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal that has since been blighted by a dispute over the return of deceased hostages.
Earlier this week, Hamas launched the 20 remaining dwelling hostages as a part of the ceasefire settlement brokered by the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Israel additionally launched greater than 1,700 Palestinian detainees it had been holding with out cost, as properly as 250 Palestinian prisoners.
But in Israel, a few of the relief felt in the wake of the agreement has been eclipsed by anger that Hamas to this point has launched solely the stays of 9 of the 28 deceased hostages held in Gaza.
In an handle Thursday to commemorate fallen Israeli troopers and mark the anniversary — beneath the Hebrew calendar — of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault, Netanyahu vowed that Israel will “achieve all the goals of this war.”
Speaking at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl cemetery, Netanyahu declared: “The struggle is not over, but one thing is clear today: Anyone who raises his hand against us already knows that he will pay a very heavy price for his aggression. We are determined to complete the victory, a victory that will shape the course of our lives for many years.”
Hamas’ navy wing stated Wednesday that “significant efforts and special equipment” are wanted to get well the bodies of the remaining hostages in Gaza. In an announcement, Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades stated the group has “abided by what was agreed upon and has handed over all the living captives in its possession and the corpses it could access.”
But Israel believes that Hamas is aware of the places of a few of the deceased hostages it claims are lacking, in response to two Israeli sources acquainted with the matter. One of the sources stated Israel believes that Hamas has entry to a minimum of six different bodies and probably extra. The supply stated Israel is aware of that 5 of the bodies “have disappeared,” whereas there is an ongoing dispute with Hamas about a number of different bodies.
Israel and Hamas had agreed on a mechanism for looking for the stays of bodies whose whereabouts are unknown, however that mechanism has not begun working.
The United States does not consider that Hamas is violating its commitments to the settlement by failing to supply the bodies, two senior US advisers advised NCS on Wednesday. The advisers stated they obtained assurances from Hamas, by way of third-party mediators, that the group would do all the pieces attainable to return the remaining bodies.
The US is actively working by way of mediators to offer intelligence and logistical help to find the remaining bodies, which in lots of instances might be buried beneath rubble and particles. Large swaths of Gaza have been flattened by Israeli bombardment, and roughly 92% of housing in Gaza has been destroyed or broken, in response to the latest United Nations figures launched Thursday.
An Israeli official advised NCS that Israel has shared data, primarily based on its intelligence, on the situation of a few of the bodies of deceased hostages in Gaza.
The US advisers additionally advised NCS that different nations have provided assist, together with Turkey, which has proposed sending a crew of body-retrieval specialists with experience in finding stays left behind in earthquakes.
The delay in securing the return of all of the bodies is souring the elation felt by Israelis on Monday, when all 20 remaining dwelling hostages got here residence.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated in an announcement that the ceasefire deal “cannot continue to be implemented without Hamas returning all the hostages.” The group demanded that Hamas “fulfill its obligations.”
“Any decision that weakens pressure on Hamas or allows the agreement to continue while hostages remain unreturned would be a grave moral and leadership failure,” the discussion board’s assertion added in an obvious effort to position stress on the Israeli authorities as properly. “The job is not done. Our loved ones have not yet come home as promised.”
After threatening to limit humanitarian help to Gaza as a way to stress Hamas to launch extra bodies, Israel seems to have backed down and is now permitting portions of help into the enclave in line with the quantities required beneath the ceasefire settlement, US and Israeli officers stated.
A tally from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities within the Territories (COGAT), obtained by NCS, confirmed that greater than 700 vehicles crossed into Gaza on Wednesday, with gas and gasoline among the many gadgets moved into the territory. The ceasefire settlement stipulates 600 vehicles a day.
A overwhelming majority of the vehicles went by way of the Kerem Shalom crossing close to Egypt, whereas fewer than 100 crossed by way of Kissufim in central Gaza.
NCS has reached out to COGAT for remark.
Hamas’ Government Media Office stated 480 humanitarian help vehicles, together with three with cooking gasoline and 6 with diesel gas, entered Gaza on Wednesday.
Earlier, the UN had expressed concern over threatened restrictions on help, saying it might not turn out to be a bargaining chip.
“Facilitation of aid is a legal obligation,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher stated Wednesday in an announcement on Gaza.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has but to declare the battle formally over and has averted the difficulty of a possible resumption of combating.
Israel’s navy nonetheless occupies roughly 50% of Gaza, and the ceasefire settlement stipulates that its withdrawal is contingent on Hamas disarming — two sticking factors within the ceasefire deal which have yet to be worked out.
“Great challenges still lie ahead from enemies seeking to rearm,” Netanyahu stated at Thursday’s ceremony. “Great challenges — and alongside them, dramatic opportunities to expand the circle of peace.”
He additionally pledged as soon as once more to “bring back all the hostages.”
US President Donald Trump said he would think about permitting Netanyahu to renew navy motion in Gaza if Hamas refuses to uphold its finish of the ceasefire deal.
NCS’s Ibrahim Dahman and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.