Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to "disarm" Hamas either the "easy or the hard way," a day after the Palestinian group accepted parts of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.
Netanyahu said the demilitarisation of Hamas would be achieved either through the Trump proposal or through Israeli military action, signalling that Israel would not fully withdraw from Gaza — a long-standing demand of Hamas.
"Israel's military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and Hamas will be disarmed in the plan's second phase, diplomatically, or through a military path by us. You heard Trump, he will not accept additional delay. In the second phase, Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be demilitarised. This will happen either diplomatically through Trump's plan or militarily by us. This will happen either the easy way or the hard way," Netanyahu said in a video message in Hebrew.
The Israeli Prime Minister expressed hope that all hostages in Gaza would be freed "in the coming days," as Israel and Hamas prepare for talks in Egypt on Monday.
"My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, we are on the verge of a very great achievement. This is still not final. We are working on it diligently, and I hope that in the coming days, still during the holiday of Sukkot, I will be able to announce to you the return of all our hostages, the living and the dead. At the same time, the IDF remains in the depths of the Gaza Strip and in the areas controlling it," he added.
Hamas accepted certain parts of Trump's Gaza peace plan on Friday night, including ending the war, Israel's partial withdrawal, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives, aid and recovery efforts, and opposition to Palestinian expulsion from the territory.
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Trump had issued an ultimatum to the Palestinian group to accept the plan by Sunday, 6 pm US time, or face "all hell."
Trump then warned Hamas to "move quickly" and agree to a peace deal with Israel or "risk further devastation" in Gaza. He also instructed Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Hours after the warning, Israel struck Gaza, killing six people, including four in a house in Gaza City and two in Khan Younis.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump said Israel had agreed to the initial withdrawal line, and that a ceasefire would begin immediately once Hamas confirms, triggering the start of a hostages and prisoner exchange.
"After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to and shared with Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be immediately effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 year catastrophe. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and stay tuned!" he said.
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