Israel-Gaza war ‘not over’ – Netanyahu declares

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict is far from over, insisting that Hamas will be fully disarmed and Gaza demilitarized.

Addressing members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Monday, Netanyahu stated that those seeking to harm Israel are “re-arming” and have not abandoned their goal of destroying the country.

“The war has not ended,” he said. “Those who seek to do us harm are re-arming. They have not given up their aim of destroying us.”

Reiterating his government’s stance, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas “will be disarmed” and “Gaza will be demilitarized,” stressing that this outcome is inevitable.

“It will either happen the easy way or the hard way,” he said. “But it will happen.”

According to a report by ABC News, four deceased hostages are still believed to be held in Gaza following the return of the body of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza war.

Israeli authorities have been releasing the bodies of Palestinians in exchange for the remains of Israeli hostages. As of Saturday, about 300 Palestinian bodies had been returned to Gaza, though only 89 have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

While the ceasefire in Gaza remains largely in place, Israel has continued airstrikes in southern Lebanon, targeting what it describes as Hezbollah positions.