Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the Gaza war will not end until Hamas is completely disarmed and the territory demilitarised.
Netanyahu made the declaration on Saturday during an interview on right-wing Israeli Channel 14.
His statement came as Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, announced plans to hand over the remains of two more Israeli hostages later that night.
According to the Israeli military, a Red Cross team was dispatched before 11:00 p.m. to receive “several” bodies in Gaza.
The return of the hostages’ remains has stalled the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Israel has linked the reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to the handover of all hostages, both dead and alive.
Netanyahu stressed that the second phase of the ceasefire deal was crucial to achieving lasting peace.
“Phase B involves the disarming of Hamas or more precisely, the complete demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip,” he said.
“When that is successfully completed hopefully easily, but if not, through force then the war will end.”
Despite the ceasefire, Hamas has continued to resist disarmament and is reportedly re-establishing control in parts of Gaza.
Under the current truce, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Hamas has released all 20 living hostages. It has also handed over the remains of nine Israelis and one Nepalese national.
Israel, in return, has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and released 135 bodies of Palestinians since the agreement began on October 10.
The latest exchange took place on Friday night and involved the body of 75-year-old Eliyahu Margalit, who was killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.
Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades said on Telegram that it needed more time and technical help to locate the remaining bodies buried beneath Gaza’s rubble.
“The two bodies set for return on Saturday were recovered earlier today,” the group stated.
Netanyahu has linked the reopening of the Rafah crossing to Hamas’s full compliance with the ceasefire deal.
The Palestinian mission in Cairo said the border could reopen as early as Monday, initially for Gazans living in Egypt who wish to return home.
However, Netanyahu’s office later announced that the Rafah crossing would “remain closed until further notice.”
The statement added, “Its reopening will be considered only after Hamas fulfils its obligations in returning all hostages and implementing the agreed framework.”
The continued closure has worsened the humanitarian situation in Gaza. United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher, who toured northern Gaza on Saturday, described the destruction as “catastrophic.”
“I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing,” Fletcher said.
“Now, it’s just a wasteland the devastation is unimaginable.”