Daijiworld Media Network – Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Oct 19: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday declared that the war in Gaza would not end until Hamas was completely disarmed and the Palestinian territory demilitarised. His statement came as Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains of two more hostages to Israeli forces under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed that a Red Cross team transferred the remains to Israel for identification. The issue of recovering the bodies of hostages still in Gaza has become a major obstacle in implementing the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel has tied the reopening of the key Rafah border crossing to Hamas’s cooperation in returning all remains.

“The completion of the ceasefire’s second phase, which includes Hamas’s disarmament and Gaza’s demilitarisation, is essential for ending the war,” Netanyahu said on Israel’s Channel 14. “When that is done—peacefully or otherwise—the war will end,” he added.

Hamas, however, has rejected the idea and moved to reassert its control over Gaza during the truce. The US State Department on Saturday warned of “credible reports” that Hamas was planning a fresh attack on civilians in Gaza, calling it a potential ceasefire violation.

Under the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas has released 20 living hostages and the remains of 10 others, while Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 135 bodies of Palestinians since the truce began on October 10.

Netanyahu has ordered the Rafah crossing to remain closed “until further notice,” saying its reopening will depend on Hamas’s compliance with the agreement. Hamas, in turn, warned that the closure would delay the retrieval and transfer of remains.

Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who visited northern Gaza, described the devastation as “a wasteland” and said the UN was preparing a 60-day plan to deliver food, medical aid, and shelters before winter.

Despite the truce, violence has continued. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli tank fire killed nine Palestinians, including four children, in the Shaaban family. The Israeli military said it targeted a vehicle approaching the “yellow line,” as per ceasefire terms.

At Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Hospital, grief-stricken families mourned their loved ones. “My daughter, her children and husband; my son, his wife and children were all killed. What did they do wrong?” cried Umm Mohammed Shaaban.