Netanyahu Defies Gaza Ceasefire, Vows Israel Will Not Withdraw From Occupied Areas

GAZA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Israeli forces will not withdraw from their current positions inside Gaza despite the ceasefire, saying military operations will continue until Hamas is disarmed and the territory is demilitarised.

Netanyahu made the remarks during a visit to Israeli military positions near the so-called Yellow Line in Gaza, where he was accompanied by Israeli military commanders, including Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Southern Command chief Major General Yaniv Bar and the commander of Division 99, Brigadier General Eliav Tsuri.

Speaking near the Yellow Line, Netanyahu said Israeli forces currently control around 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and declared that they would remain in their present positions.

“We are not retreating,” Netanyahu said, insisting that Israeli forces would maintain their positions and strengthen their hold over the territory.

Netanyahu said Israel’s military objectives had not changed and that the campaign would continue until Hamas was disarmed and Gaza was demilitarised.

He said Israeli forces were continuing operations against Palestinian fighters and claimed that Israel’s control over Gaza had made the territory less of a threat to Israel.

The Israeli prime minister also referred to an operation carried out a day earlier, in which Israeli forces said they had captured a senior figure associated with Hamas’s internal security structure.

Netanyahu said information obtained from the detainee could provide Israel with further intelligence.

The statements have raised renewed concerns over the durability of the Gaza ceasefire and the future of Palestinian territories under Israeli military control.

The Yellow Line was established under the ceasefire arrangement to separate areas controlled by Israeli forces from areas where Hamas maintains influence.

Netanyahu’s announcement that Israeli forces would remain at their current positions effectively signals that large parts of Gaza will continue to remain under Israeli military control despite the ceasefire.

For Palestinians, the continued Israeli presence means that the humanitarian and territorial crisis in Gaza remains unresolved.

The prolonged Israeli military campaign has devastated large parts of Gaza, displaced huge numbers of Palestinians and caused extensive destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure.

The continuation of Israeli military control has also raised concerns about the ability of displaced Palestinians to return safely to their homes and rebuild communities destroyed during the war.

Palestinian officials and rights advocates have repeatedly called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to policies that they say amount to the further fragmentation and control of Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu said Israel would continue pursuing its military objectives and strengthen its presence wherever necessary.

He claimed that Israel had already largely achieved its objective of preventing Gaza from posing a threat, but acknowledged that further military action remained necessary.

The comments come amid continuing international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and demands for the ceasefire to be respected.

Critics of Israel’s policy argue that maintaining military control over large parts of Gaza while refusing to withdraw undermines the prospects for a genuine ceasefire and a lasting political settlement.

The latest statements from Netanyahu therefore suggest that despite the ceasefire, Gaza remains under intense military pressure, while Palestinians continue to face displacement, destruction and uncertainty over control of their homeland.

The future of Gaza will ultimately depend on whether the ceasefire can be preserved, whether Israeli forces withdraw from Palestinian territory and whether Palestinians are allowed to exercise their rights to security, self-determination and statehood.