by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the Knesset’s winter session Monday with a defiant speech, pledging to continue Israel’s war against Hamas while defending the temporary ceasefire tied to ongoing hostage negotiations.
Netanyahu credited Israel’s military campaign for compelling Hamas to agree to the current truce. “Our forces advanced into the heart of Gaza City, the last stronghold of Hamas,” he said. “If I had listened to those who called to stop the war, Israel would have suffered a crushing defeat, and the entire country would have gone up in nuclear smoke.”
The prime minister confirmed that Hamas violated the ceasefire Sunday by killing Israeli soldiers in Rafah, prompting a forceful response. “The IDF dropped 153 tons of explosives on dozens of targets,” Netanyahu said, warning that “the truce is not a license to threaten Israel.”
He declared that Israel had “restored its deterrence” and vowed that Hamas would be eliminated “militarily and politically” by the end of the ceasefire’s second phase.
Emerging Regional Threats
In a more guarded portion of his address, Netanyahu alluded to rising regional challenges. “Our enemies are trying to rearm and challenge us,” he warned. “In the Middle East, old threats are taking on new forms, and there are also new threats.”
According to political sources cited by Israel Hayom, Netanyahu’s “new threats” reference was directed at Turkey and Qatar — two nations backing Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood while seeking to shape Gaza’s future. Israeli officials reportedly view both governments as destabilizing forces, even as Washington maintains warmer ties with Ankara and Doha.
The issue is believed to have been discussed during Netanyahu’s meetings Monday with senior U.S. figures, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
‘Peace Is Made with the Strong’
Despite his hardline rhetoric, Netanyahu concluded with a message of resolve and opportunity. “Peace is made with the strong, not with the weak,” he said. “And today, everyone knows that Israel is stronger than ever.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.