The Israeli prime minister told Fox News that "the point here is not to negotiate with Hamas," adding: "Their job is to vanish."
(Dec. 31, 2025 / JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Tuesday that progress toward the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire hinges on Hamas disarming, calling the terrorist group’s refusal to give up its weapons the central obstacle to stabilizing the territory in 2026.
“A new government in Gaza is possible if you disarm Hamas, because no one’s going to come in there if Hamas stays armed,” Netanyahu told the TV network’s chief political anchor, Bret Baier. “They’ll put a bullet right through the back of their head, you know, anyone of any potential new government.”
Netanyahu stressed that the next phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which envisions Gaza’s full demilitarization and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force, has stalled because of Hamas.