Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly assured Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that Israel will resume its war against Hamas in Gaza following any 60-day ceasefire agreement currently under negotiation in Doha. According to Channel 12, Netanyahu pledged in recent closed-door meetings that after a pause, Israel intends to relocate Gaza’s population southward and impose a siege on the northern part of the territory. Smotrich sought guarantees that military operations would restart at full intensity post-truce.
Netanyahu outlined Israel’s plan to separate Gaza’s civilians from Hamas, confining them to the south as a humanitarian refuge to enable continued conflict after a temporary truce. He reportedly justified past delays in meeting Smotrich’s demands for Hamas’s destruction by citing planning for last month’s conflict with Iran, telling the minister, “So far I have been busy with Iran, now I can ensure the army follows my instructions.” Both Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have threatened to withdraw from the coalition government if any deal leaves Hamas in power. They were reportedly summoned for meetings with Netanyahu amid ongoing truce efforts.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry stated at least 58,026 Palestinians have been killed or are presumed dead in the enclave since the war began on October 7, 2023, as reported by local media. Israeli sources note these figures are unverified and do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The Palestinian ministry claims women and children comprise over half the casualties.
In a separate development, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas during talks in Amman with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to release remaining Israeli hostages and surrender its weapons to the PA, asserting that the Islamist group “will not govern the Gaza Strip” post-war. Abbas also reiterated calls for an immediate Gaza ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid access, the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and PA control over Gaza – a proposal Israel has consistently rejected.
Former US President Donald Trump separately told reporters he hopes the Gaza situation “will be resolved during the coming week.”