Netanyahu says Israel will not proceed with Gaza ceasefire until it gets hostage list

This image grab from handout video footage released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu giving a televised address in Jerusalem on January 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 19 January 2025
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Netanyahu says Israel will not proceed with Gaza ceasefire until it gets hostage list

  • “Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement,” Netanyahu said

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel reserves the right to resume fighting in Gaza with US support, as he pledged to bring home all hostages held in the Palestinian territory.
“We reserve the right to resume the war if necessary, with American support,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement, a day before a ceasefire is set to take effect.
“We are thinking of all our hostages ... I promise you that we will achieve all our objectives and bring back all the hostages.
“With this agreement, we will bring back 33 of our brothers and sisters, the majority (of them) alive,” he said.
He said the 42-day first phase, which starts on Sunday, was a “temporary ceasefire.”
“If we are forced to resume the war, we will do so with force,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel had “changed the face of the Middle East” since the war began.


Palestine, Egypt officials discuss Gaza safety, security

Updated 05 January 2026
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Palestine, Egypt officials discuss Gaza safety, security

  • Talks also on strategies for stability in Israeli-ravaged Occupied Territories

LONDON: Hussein Al-Sheikh, deputy president of the Palestinian Authority, discussed security and diplomatic issues during separate meetings in Cairo with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati and Hassan Rashad, director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service.

Al-Sheikh briefed Egyptian officials on the latest developments regarding the Occupied Territories, in the presence of Maj. Gen. Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service.

The discussion on Sunday also focused on strategies for achieving stability and security for the Palestinian people, and progressing to the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, as reported by the Wafa news agency.

Officials aim to improve coordination and consultation to tackle the challenges facing the Israeli-ravaged Palestine and the wider region.

Al-Sheikh might become Palestine’s president in the event of a power vacuum in the Palestinian Authority, currently led by 90-year-old Mahmoud Abbas.