Netanyahu tells Hamas: 'disarm the easy way or the hard way'

Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his pledge to force Hamas to disarm yesterday in a defiant and combative speech, just an hour after a ceasefire began in Gaza.

- Jason Burke

In a televised address, Israel’s prime minister said he had resisted intense domestic and international pressure to achieve his aim of ensuring “the security of Israel”, lambasted his critics and reiterated a threat to return to war if necessary.

“Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt the sword resting on its neck and it is still on its neck ... Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be demilitarised ... If this is achieved the easy way, so much the better. And if not, it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said.

The deal signed early on Thursday and implemented yesterday will lead to Hamas releasing 20 living hostages and the remains of 28 more within 72 hours, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Gaza, and freedom for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Further steps are still unclear.

In his address, Netanyahu said that achieving security for Israel meant “breaking the Iranian axis, of which Hamas is a central component”, suggesting that he had achieved this over the 24 months of relentless conflict.

Analysts described the speech as “an election speech”.