Benjamin Netanyahu (File photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told parliament that Israeli forces had dropped 153 tonnes of bombs on Gaza in response to what Israel described as a breach of the ceasefire by Hamas.Speaking to members of the Knesset during the winter session, Netanyahu said: “One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace. You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today Israel is stronger than ever before.” Israel on Sunday launched a wave of airstrikes following a deadly Hamas attack on Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops in Rafah, which killed two Israeli soldiers.Netanyahu called the attack a blatant violation of the ceasefire and said Israel struck back at dozens of targets, including senior Hamas commanders. Hamas denied any involvement in the attack.“We strengthened Israel’s deterrence, we straightened our posture, we brought back our hostages – all the living; some of the slain are still there. We will bring them back too,” Netanyahu said. He added that the campaign “is not over” and promised to eliminate Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, according to Times of Israel. The fragile ceasefire, brokered in recent months, has been threatened multiple times most recently by the Rafah attack. Israel launched waves of air strikes targeting militants in southern Gaza. Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that the strikes killed at least 33 people across the territory, while the health ministry said more than 68,000 Palestinians have died since the war began in October 2023, with thousands still missing.Amid the renewed clashes, Hamas returned two coffins of Israeli hostages, bringing the total returned to 12.Israel kept the Rafah border crossing closed, citing Hamas’s slow cooperation, leaving thousands unable to travel for medical or family reasons since May 2024.Netanyahu stressed that the ceasefire does not give Hamas a license to threaten Israel. “There is and will be a very heavy price for aggression against us,” he said. He also highlighted Israel’s willingness to extend peace to those who seek it, stating, “Peace is made with the strong, not the weak. Today, everyone knows that Israel is a very strong country.”The prime minister reaffirmed Israel’s mission to fully return slain and surviving hostages, calling it a “sacred mission” and underlining his resolve to neutralize threats posed by Hamas while maintaining a posture of strength.
