Ben Gvir’s demand follows Israel’s accusation that Hamas breached the ceasefire brokered earlier this month
Israel’s National Security Minister, Ben Gvir, has called for military operations to resume in Gaza, citing alleged violations by Hamas of the ceasefire agreement established this month.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), militants launched an anti-tank missile and fired at Israeli troops stationed in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Israel responded by conducting several airstrikes on what it identified as terror targets.
“I urge the prime minister to order the IDF to renew full-scale fighting in the Strip with full strength,” Gvir declared in a statement on Sunday. “The erroneous belief that Hamas will change its ways, or will even abide by the agreement it signed, is proving…to be perilous to our security. This Nazi terrorist organization must be obliterated entirely, and the sooner it happens, the better.”
Israel and Hamas had agreed to a tentative ceasefire in early October, as part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
The initial phase required Hamas to release all remaining Israeli hostages within 72 hours, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On Monday, the group released the final 20 living captives and returned the remains of 12 others. Hamas stated it had fulfilled its obligations but faced difficulties in retrieving all bodies due to Gaza’s devastation and ongoing Israeli control in certain areas.
Israel has accused Hamas of insufficient efforts in returning the remains of 16 captives, while both sides have traded accusations of ceasefire violations.
Later on Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the IDF “to take firm action against terror targets in the Gaza Strip,” according to an announcement from his office. The statement did not clarify whether this meant the IDF would fully resume military operations.
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq, also on Sunday, released a statement affirming the group’s commitment to the ceasefire, accusing the Israeli “occupation” of violating it and “seeking justifications for its crimes.” The group’s military wing denied any involvement in the Rafah incident, claiming it had lost contact with factions in that area last March.
“We have no information regarding any incidents or clashes in Rafah, which is under [Israeli] occupation control,” the statement noted.