If they’re not, we’re going to go and, if necessary, exterminate them. They are aware that they will be exterminated. Despite the fighting over the weekend, all parties have reiterated their commitment to the US backed truce. Israel also verified on Monday that Hamas returned 13 of the 28 hostages it had promised to return. In order to carry out the ceasefire agreement, Hamas must fulfill its pledge to return the bodies of all the hostages, according to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the statement, “We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the deceased hostages, everything and everyone.”
According to Hamas, more time and technological support are required to finish the bodies’ retrieval.
Netanyahu stated that Vance would cover “two things… the security challenges we face and the diplomatic opportunities before us” when he arrived in Israel on Tuesday.
The execution of the Rocky Deal
The ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, outlined a plan for exchanging hostages and prisoners and offered a bold future course for Gaza. However, difficulties in putting it into practice have arisen rapidly.
Netanyahu claims that after two Israeli soldiers were killed in the southern part of Gaza, Israel used 153 tons (337,307 pounds) of explosives to launch dozens of raids on Hamas on Sunday. The strikes killed at least 45 people throughout the region, according to Gaza’s civil defense service.
It refuted the Israeli prime minister’s assertion that the militant organization had committed “a blatant violation” of the truce.
Trump stated that American military would not confront Hamas, but he also stated that “Israel would enter in two minutes, if I requested it.”
“But we haven’t mentioned that yet. “We will give it a chance,” he continued.
Four more civilians were killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza City on Monday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza civil defense organization. When militants violated a ceasefire line, Israel’s military claimed to have fired at them.
According to Trump’s 20-point plan, Israeli forces have pulled back past the so-called “Yellow Line,” giving them control over almost half of Gaza, including its borders, but excluding its major cities.
Several times since the truce was announced, Israeli troops have opened fire on Gazans they claim were moving toward their new positions.
Because of Gaza’s media limitations and access issues, AFP is unable to independently confirm information provided by the Israeli military or the civil defense organization.
“Reinstated enforcement”
The military declared that it has “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” but would “respond firmly to any violation” following Sunday’s attacks in retaliation for the attack on its soldiers.
One Hamas official accused Israel of creating “pretexts” to recommence the fight, while another denied any knowledge of any attack.
According to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave, the war, which was started by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,216 people in Gaza, according to numbers the UN finds reliable.
More than half of the deceased are women and children, according to the data, which does not differentiate between militants and civilians.
According to an AFP count based on official Israeli data, 1,221 persons were killed in Hamas’s 2023 attack, the majority of whom were civilians.