SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — After waiting to see how Israel and Hamas would move forward with a waning ceasefire in place, it appears Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his answer Tuesday morning — a surprise airstrike across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 400 Palestinians, according to local officials in the region.
"This is only the beginning," Netanyahu warned in a video address after the attack. "We will continue to fight to achieve all the goals for the war."
The goals, according to Ido Aharoni, include a release of all hostages back to Israel and the dismantling of Hamas — the latter of which he does not believe will be possible through an agreement alone.
"A ceasefire will allow us to bring back the hostages and the dead bodies. That's great," said Aharoni, a former Israeli diplomat and current Galinson Professor of International Relations at SDSU & UCSD. "I don't see a scenario where this government, or the next government, or the following government in Israel, will relent on this issue."
"The only way this ends," he added, "is with Hamas out of Gaza."
There are 59 hostages that remain in Hamas' captivity. Israel officials believe only 24 of them are still alive.
Aharoni said that gives Hamas all the leverage. However, he said Tuesday's attack might be Israel's attempt to tip the scales.
"I can only assume that this is part of the overall effort to seal the deal for the release of the hostages and the dead bodies," he said.
The first phase of a ceasefire was established in January. It was a six-week agreement, during which Israel released nearly 2,000 prisoners and Hamas freed 33 hostages.
That agreement ended in early March. Israel tried to return by offering a new plan for phase two, but Hamas rejected that proposal.
In turn, Israel blocked aid from reaching Gaza's population and threatened "additional consequences," which seems to include Tuesday's attack.
Netanyahu said any talks from here on out will be done "under fire."
"It may seem like something tactical, but I believe it's part of a much larger strategy," Aharoni said. "I believe that the U.S. administration is part of that strategy as well."
President Donald Trump's administration said it stood behind Israel's actions Tuesday, and showed its support over the weekend with a deadly attack in Yemen targeting allies of Iran, which has been sending resources to Hamas.
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