GAZA: Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military will enter Gaza “with full force” in the coming days, despite ongoing ceasefire efforts and the release of a US-Zionist captive from the war-ravaged territory. “In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying in a statement from his office on Tuesday.

“Completing the operation means defeating Hamas. It means destroying Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “There will be no situation where we stop the war. A temporary ceasefire might happen, but we are going all the way.” The prime minister’s comments followed the return on Monday of 21-year-old soldier Edan Alexander, who had been in Hamas captivity since the militant group’s Oct 7, 2023 attack on the Zionist entity.

Netanyahu had credited Alexander’s release to a combination of “our military pressure and the political pressure exerted by (US) President (Donald) Trump”. But on Tuesday, Hamas rejected the claim. “The return of Edan Alexander is the result of serious communications with the

US administration and the efforts of mediators, not a consequence of (Zionist) aggression or the illusion of military pressure,” the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.

During a meeting with soldiers late Monday, Netanyahu said the Zionist entity was working to find countries that may be willing to take in Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Zionist ministers have seized on a proposal initially floated by Trump for the voluntary departure of Gazans to neighboring countries such as Jordan or Egypt. Cairo and Amman, along with other Arab allies, governments around the world and the Palestinians themselves, have flatly rejected the proposal.

“We’ve set up an administration that will allow them (Gaza residents) to leave but... we need countries willing to take them in. That’s what we’re working on right now,” he said, adding that he estimated “over 50 percent will leave” if given the option.

The release of Alexander — the last living captive in Gaza with US citizenship — came a day after Hamas revealed it was engaged in direct talks with Washington towards a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu on Monday thanked Trump “for his assistance in the release” and said would be sending a negotiating team to Qatar on Tuesday to discuss the release of the remaining captives.

Netanyahu on Tuesday spoke on the phone with Alexander and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who met the former captive in hospital. When asked by Netanyahu how he was feeling, Alexander replied: “It’s crazy, unbelievable. I’m okay. Weak, but slowly I’ll get back to how I was before. It’s just a matter of time.” – AFP