Sa’ar: Hamas to learn ‘the hard way’ that it will not ‘bring Israel to its knees’

Israel had no choice but to resume military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after Phase 1 of the ceasefire ended and negotiations have reached an impasse, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said during an appearance at the Nevatim Conference for the Development of the Negev on Tuesday. Israel has found itself in a situation where the terrorist organization in Gaza has stopped releasing hostages since it was under no pressure to do so, Sa’ar explained, especially since Israel was not attacking its forces.

Hamas has already rejected two different proposals by Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, he said.Sa’ar stated that the situation reminded him of the first 20 days between the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the start of the Israel Defense Forces ground incursion into Gaza.

“At that time, there was some hope, or some kind of desire, that maybe Hamas would come to its senses and cut a deal … as long as it didn’t happen, nothing happened,” said the foreign minister. “We had no choice but to start shooting. … Hamas will have to understand the hard way that it will not be able to bring the State of Israel to its knees,” he added.  (Read More)