Israeli Foreign Minister Vows Hamas War Will Resume After Hostage Release, Rebuffing Calls to End Fighting

‘We will resume fighting after the ceasefire,’ Israeli foreign minister

A picture taken from Israel's southern city of Sderot shows destroyed buildings following Israeli bombardments of the northern Gaza Strip on Nov. 24, 2023, hours after the start of a four-day truce in battles between Israel and Hamas. Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images

As an Israel–Hamas ceasefire went into effect on Nov. 24, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen vowed the Israeli side would resume military operations in the Gaza Strip as soon as the release of hostages stops.

“Israel will continue its war on Hamas, and we will not stop until we achieve our two main goals: overthrowing the rule of Hamas and returning all the abductees back to us, safe and sound,” Mr. Cohen said as he toured Israel’s borders with his counterparts from Portugal and Slovenia on Nov. 24.