Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his assertion that Israel will not allow Gaza’s reconstruction before terror groups in the Strip disarm, and said Israel would maintain security control over Gaza and the West Bank, in a wide-ranging press conference called Tuesday evening following the return to Israel of the final slain hostage, Ran Gvili.

“Now we are focusing on completing the two remaining missions: dismantling Hamas’s weapons and demilitarizing Gaza of arms and tunnels,” the premier said.

He also claimed vindication in having returned all of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. He reiterated a warning that Israel will respond with force if attacked by Iran.

He discouraged Israel from holding early elections, in the face of a crisis that threatens to collapse his coalition. He slammed the criminal investigations probing the conduct of his close aides. And, as in the past, he avoided acknowledging direct responsibility for the failures surrounding the Hamas invasion and massacre on October 7, 2023.

In bombshell comments, he also blamed the deaths of Israeli soldiers in Gaza on limitations on arms from the administration of former US president Joe Biden. And he insinuated that Saudi Arabia should not align itself with Qatar and Turkey if it hopes to normalize relations with Israel.

Netanyahu’s presser occurred at a time of simultaneous relief and tension for Israel. The country’s long-running hostage crisis is over now that Gvili’s body has been returned from Gaza. But it is on tenterhooks as a US strike on Iran — and Iranian retaliation against Israel — remains possible.

The return of Gvili’s body marks the end of the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. US President Donald Trump inaugurated the second phase last week, which is meant to see longer-term governance frameworks in the Strip as well as its reconstruction.

But Netanyahu warned, as he did Monday, that the next mission is to disarm Hamas, before moving on to rebuilding Gaza. Trump’s plan for Gaza mandates the terror group’s disarmament but there is widespread skepticism in Israel that Hamas will agree to lay down its weapons.

Further Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza are tied to the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the enclave under the plan. Netanyahu asserted that Israel’s political and security interests will be met and that reconstruction can only happen after demilitarization.

“As I agreed with President Trump… there are only two possibilities: either this will be done the easy way, or it will be done the hard way, but in any case, it will happen,” Netanyahu said of disarmament. “I am already hearing the statements that we will allow Gaza’s reconstruction before demilitarization. That will not happen.”

Netanyahu confirmed that the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt “will be open in both directions” when it finally resumes operations soon. He said he doesn’t know the exact number of pedestrians who will be allowed into Gaza every day, but estimated it at “50 people plus family members coming in.”

“We are not going to prevent anyone from leaving,” he added.

Netanyahu added that “there will be no open access — it is not going to be opened for goods. … People go out, people come in — but they are checked, thoroughly checked [by Israel].”

He said the opening of the crossing was agreed to by Israel in Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, but was conditional on Hamas meeting its obligations........

© The Times of Israel