Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed today, Wednesday, that Israel will return to fighting as part of its war on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since October 7, as soon as “the stage of returning the hostages has been exhausted,” stressing that this issue has been settled, and that the goals of declared war on Gaza “is still ongoing.”

This came in a videotape released by his office today, on the sixth day of the humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, in light of talk that a new agreement is being discussed in Doha that includes the release of all detainees in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners accused of killing Israelis, amid reports of reaching a deal. “A preliminary agreement on a new extension of the truce, for two additional days.”

Netanyahu said, "Since the beginning of the war (on Gaza), I have set three goals: eliminating Hamas, the return of all Israeli hostages from Gaza, and ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel. These three goals still exist."

He continued, "Last week we achieved a very great achievement, which was the return of dozens of hostages. A week ago it seemed unreal, but we achieved it."

He added, "But in recent days I have heard a recurring question: Will Israel return to fighting after the hostage return phase is exhausted? So my answer is an unequivocal yes."

He continued by saying: "It is impossible for us not to return to fighting until the end. This is my policy. The entire Cabinet stands behind it, the entire government stands behind it, the soldiers stand behind it, and the people stand behind it - and this is exactly what we will do."