Netanyahu vows to resume Gaza war with US support ‘if necessary’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel reserves the right to resume fighting in Gaza with U.S. support, as he vowed to bring home all hostages held in the Palestinian territory.
“We reserve the right to resume the war if necessary, with American support,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement, one day before a cease-fire is set to take effect.
“We are thinking of all our hostages… I promise you that we will achieve all our objectives and bring back all the hostages.”
With the agreement, he said, Israel would bring home 33 hostages, the majority of them alive.
‘Temporary cease-fire’
Netanyahu described the 42-day first phase, which starts Sunday, as a “temporary cease-fire.”
“If we are forced to resume the war, we will do so with force,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel had “changed the face of the Middle East” since the war began.
Qatari PM and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced the success of mediators Wednesday in reaching a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, noting that its implementation will begin this Sunday.
The first phase of the agreement will last for 42 days and involve the release of 33 Israeli detainees in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.
Bin Abdulrahman emphasized that Qatar, Egypt, and the United States will ensure the implementation of the agreement and monitor its execution to prevent violations.