Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that Hamas returns the remains of hostages still unaccounted for in Gaza, declaring that “the fight is not over yet.”
His comments came on Thursday during a state ceremony marking the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which ignited the devastating two-year war. The conflict—marked by mass casualties, hunger, and destruction—came to a halt under a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, which saw Hamas release the last 20 surviving hostages and hand over the bodies of several deceased captives.
Despite this progress, the remains of 19 hostages remain missing. Hamas has claimed it needs specialized recovery equipment to retrieve those still buried under the ruins of Gaza.
At the memorial ceremony, Netanyahu vowed unwavering determination: “We are determined to secure the return of all hostages. The fight is not over yet, but one thing is clear—whoever lays a hand on us knows they will pay a very heavy price.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has been vocal throughout the war, called on the government to pause further stages of the ceasefire if Hamas fails to comply with the full return of hostages and their remains. “As long as Hamas breaches the agreements and continues to hold 19 hostages, there can be no unilateral progress on Israel’s part,” the group said in a statement.
The group also urged authorities to “immediately halt the implementation of any further stages of the agreement as long as Hamas continues to blatantly violate its obligations regarding the return of all hostages and the remains of the victims.”
Under Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, the ceasefire’s next stages include the disarmament of Hamas, amnesty for leaders who surrender their weapons, and the formation of a new governing structure for the post-war territory.
However, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, issued a stern warning on Wednesday, saying that Israel would resume fighting if Hamas failed to uphold the agreement. “If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war,” his office stated.
Trump, meanwhile, urged patience, acknowledging the grim and complex process of recovering the remains. “It’s a gruesome process, I almost hate to talk about it, but they’re digging, they’re actually digging,” he said, describing how Hamas teams are sifting through rubble to identify the dead.
For many Israeli families, the ceasefire brought long-awaited relief. Sylvia Cunio, mother of freed hostages Ariel and David Cunio, expressed overwhelming gratitude after two years of anguish. “My children are home! Two years ago, one morning, I lost half of my family… For two years, I didn’t breathe. For two years, I felt like I had no air. And today, I stand here and shout out loud, “David and Ariel are here!” she said.
Another parent, Kobi Kalfon, whose son Segev was also freed, said his child endured both physical and emotional trauma in captivity. “We now start a new journey, his journey to rehabilitation. It will not be simple, but we will be with him, hand in hand,” he said.
In Gaza, where the ceasefire has brought temporary calm, despair remains widespread amid widespread destruction. Mustafa Mahram, a resident who returned to Gaza City, described scenes of desolation. “There’s no water—no clean water, not even salty water, no water at all. No essentials of life exist—no food, no drink, nothing. And as you can see, all that’s left is rubble. An entire city has been destroyed,” he said.
The war claimed at least 67,938 lives in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave—figures deemed credible by the United Nations. More than half of the victims were women and children. The conflict was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which left 1,221 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data.
What You Should Know
Two years after Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel, a fragile peace has taken hold, but tension remains high.
Netanyahu’s renewed vow to recover the remaining hostages underscores Israel’s determination to achieve closure, even as Gaza struggles under the weight of loss and devastation.
The ceasefire, while marking an end to active warfare, continues to test the limits of diplomacy, patience, and human endurance.
