Netanyahu Says Israeli Military Campaign Not Over

The military “campaign is not over,” Netanyahu warned. “There are still major security challenges ahead of us. Some of our enemies are trying to recover in order to attack us again.”

“We are ‘on this,'” he promised.

Ahead of the release of hostages, Religious Zionism MK Moshe Solomon said his party will remain in the governing coalition as long as the agreement with Hamas moves to its second stage and the terror group is prevented from rearming or controlling Gaza, amid speculation that the far-right party may bolt the coalition.

“The agreement that we signed has stages,” Solomon told The Times of Israel. “Stage one is the release of the hostages and the terrorists. Stage two is the complete disarmament of Gaza and of Hamas, so that Hamas does not control the Gaza Strip in any way. And that way we achieve our war aims, we win this difficult war, and destroy Hamas.”

“If the situation is such that Hamas remains armed and in control of Gaza, of course, we cannot stay in this government,” he added.

“We are [experiencing] dissonance between great joy, pain, and fear for the future,” Solomon said. “I am happy and excited. But alongside this great joy, there is also concern and pain that the price is not simple — to release terrorists with blood on their hands, who we know with certainty will return to committing acts of terror.”