Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that the war in Gaza will not end until the second phase of the truce is fully executed,
one that ensures the complete disarming of Hamas. In an interview, Netanyahu shared that "Phase B" will be completed, hopefully in an "easy way", but if not, then the war will end the "hard way". "Phase B also involves the disarming of Hamas or more precisely, the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, following the stripping of Hamas of its weapons," Netanyahu told right-wing Channel 14. "When that is successfully completed, hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way, then the war will end," he added.
Israel says Gaza's Rafah crossing will remain closed
On Saturday, Israel announced that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay closed "until further notice," after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said the territory's sole gateway to the outside world would reopen Monday for people returning to Gaza.
The statement by Benjamin Netanyahu's office said reopening Rafah would depend on how Hamas fulfills its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 dead hostages. Israel's foreign ministry earlier said the crossing would likely reopen Sunday.
Hamas has handed over the remains of 10 hostages. In a statement, it asserted that its armed wing would hand over the remains of two more Saturday night, without identifying them.
The handover of remains is among key points "along with aid deliveries into Gaza and the devastated territory's future" in the ceasefire process meant to end two years of war.
Also Read: Ceasefire in Danger? US Warns Hamas May Be Planning Attack in Gaza
Meanwhile, the United States has said it has received "credible reports" suggesting that Hamas may violate the current ceasefire in Gaza with an attack targeting Palestinian civilians.
In a statement on Saturday, the US State Department warned that any such assault "would constitute a direct and grave violation" of the agreement brokered by President Donald Trump to end the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas.
No additional details were provided about the alleged threat.
(With AP inputs)
