New Delhi :
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given a big statement a few hours before the start of Gaza ceasefire. Netanyahu said he would “not be able to move forward with the framework” until he received a list of hostages to be released by Hamas. Also said that the right to restart the war if necessary is reserved.
“As agreed, we will be unable to move forward with the framework until we receive a list of hostages to be released,” Netanyahu said in a post in Hebrew. “Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement.” “Hamas is fully responsible.”
Changed the face of the Middle East: Netanyahu
In a televised address, Netanyahu said Israel reserved “the right to resume war if necessary” with US support. He said that he would ensure that all the hostages are brought back to Israel.
Netanyahu said, “If necessary, we reserve the right to resume war with American support.” He said Israel had “changed the face of the Middle East” since the war began.
Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza. According to the Israeli army, 34 of these have been killed.
Attacks on Gaza before ceasefire comes into force
After Israel’s Cabinet voted to approve a cease-fire and hostage-prisoner release deal, mediator Qatar said the truce was scheduled to begin Sunday morning. Qatar and the US, which brokered the agreement with Egypt, announced the agreement on Wednesday, after which Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued.
According to the report of news agency AFP, on Saturday, Gaza’s Civil Defense Rescue Agency said that at least five members of the same family were killed in an attack on a tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. The sound of explosions was heard in Jerusalem after the air raid sirens sounded. The army said that the attack was from Yemen. This attack was carried out by Houthi rebels. Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they support the Palestinians.
There has already been a week long ceasefire
In the nearly 15-month-long war between Hamas and Israel, there was a ceasefire for a week only once in November 2023. In that agreement, the hostages held by terrorists were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel’s Justice Ministry had earlier said that 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be released under the first phase of the agreement. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said that under the initial 42-day ceasefire, 33 hostages will be released by terrorists in Gaza.
This ceasefire will come into effect a day before the second term of Donald Trump as US President.
More than 46 thousand people died in Gaza
According to an AFP tally based on Israeli official data, the war was started by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Due to this, 1,210 people died in Israel, mostly civilians.
Israel’s counteroffensive has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,899 people, most of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures reliable.