Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes for a peaceful next stage of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. He noted that US President Donald Trump's conditions are "very clear": Hamas must lay down its weapons and demilitarize, otherwise "real hell will break loose," writes UNN, citing CBS News.
Details
"We agreed to give peace a chance," Netanyahu told the TV channel in an interview on Tuesday, a day after Trump made a brief visit to Tel Aviv to mark the first stage of his 20-point peace plan for Gaza, announcing that "the war is over."
"A New Beginning": Trump Declares End of War in Gaza13.10.25, 11:38 • [views_27913]
Now that the living hostages have been returned, Netanyahu said the next step must be the demilitarization and disarmament of Hamas militants.
First, Hamas must lay down its weapons. And second, we want to make sure there are no weapons factories in Gaza. No weapons smuggling into Gaza. That is demilitarization.
Trump warned on Tuesday that if Hamas does not disarm, "we will disarm them." "And it will happen quickly, and perhaps violently. But they will disarm," the American leader said then.
Netanyahu said he heard Trump's remarks, paraphrasing them as "all hell will break loose."
"Well, I hope that doesn't happen. I hope we can do it peacefully. We are certainly ready for that," Netanyahu said.
The agreement, brokered by the Trump administration, secured the release of all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.
All 20 released Hamas hostages handed over to Israel13.10.25, 11:58 • [views_3018]
Hamas also returned the remains of four deceased Israeli hostages on Monday, with another four handed over on Tuesday. 20 more bodies are yet to be returned. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing the families of the hostages, called for a suspension of the peace plan "until every deceased person is returned." Trump stated on Monday that not all bodies had been found and handed over.
This exchange was a crucial step in reaching an agreement aimed at ending the two-year war in Gaza and establishing lasting peace in a region marred by decades of conflict.
The plan also called for Israel to withdraw troops from parts of the Gaza Strip and stated that "aid will be fully and immediately sent" to Gaza, where Palestinians have faced starvation, the publication writes. The plan also covers, but does not fully resolve, more sensitive issues, including post-war governance of Gaza, Palestinian statehood, and the disarmament of Hamas.
To those who doubt his desire for peace, Netanyahu advised them to look at the Abraham Accords, in which Israel normalized relations with four Arab League countries.
"We have an opportunity to expand this peace," he said, adding that it would be "the greatest gift we can give to the people of Israel, the people of the region, and the people of the world."
Addition
After the start of the peace process in the Gaza Strip, violent clashes erupted in several areas of the enclave between Hamas and rival factions. Public executions of rivals by militants have been reported.
Brutal clashes in Gaza: Hamas publicly executes eight people - CNN15.10.25, 04:39 • [views_67740]