Netanyahu says Gaza war is over

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the war in Gaza has ended while receiving U.S. President Donald Trump in occupied Jerusalem, hours after the first phase of the prisoner-exchange and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas began to be implemented.

Channel 12 quoted Netanyahu as saying “the war is over,” coinciding with Trump’s visit to the Knesset to deliver an official speech and to follow up on the implementation of the agreement brokered by Washington in cooperation with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

Contradiction in Netanyahu’s positions
Netanyahu’s recent remarks from Jerusalem represent a notable shift, as he had said in a televised address last Sunday that the war “is not over yet,” stressing that Israel still faces “major security challenges.”

Netanyahu then said: “Our sons will return tomorrow, and this is a historic event… many did not think this day would come, but our soldiers believed, many of the people believed, and so did I.”

He added: “Everywhere we fought we were victorious, but at the same time the battle is not over, and many challenges remain ahead of us. Some of our enemies are trying to rebuild their capabilities to attack us again, but we are aware of everything and will continue to confront them with force.”

The Gaza Health Ministry announced that the number of victims of the Israeli assault that began on October 7, 2023, has reached 67,806 killed and 170,066 wounded, most of them women and children, while the siege and famine have caused the deaths of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, according to official data.

Local and international human rights reports describe what Israel committed during the war as “genocide,” carried out with direct U.S. political and military support, while thousands of Palestinian families are still searching for their missing relatives among the rubble.