Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the war in Gaza will only end after the second phase of the truce is completed, which includes disarming Hamas. “Phase B also involves the disarming of Hamas or more precisely, the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, following the stripping of Hamas of its weapons,” Netanyahu told right-wing Channel 14. “When that is successfully completed, hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way, then the war will end,” he added. Meanwhile, Israel announced that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed “until further notice.” The Palestinian embassy in Egypt had said the crossing would reopen on Monday for people returning to Gaza. Netanyahu’s office said the reopening will depend on how Hamas fulfils its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 dead hostages. So far, Hamas has handed over the remains of 10 hostages. The group said it would return the remains of two more on Saturday night, without giving further details. The handover of bodies, along with aid deliveries and the future of Gaza, is a key part of the ceasefire process intended to end the two-year-long war. US president Donald Trump has warned that he would support a resumption of Israel’s military action if Hamas does not return the remains of all dead hostages. Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israel of continuing attacks and violating the ceasefire, claiming that 38 Palestinians have been killed since it began.
