Netanyahu Says Israel Ready for Any Hamas Move Before Vote

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his cabinet on Tuesday, declaring Israel's readiness to meet any Hamas provocation before the upcoming Knesset elections. He instructed security agencies to stay vigilant and warned that any challenge to Israel's sovereignty would be answered "with full force."

The Prime Minister opened the meeting with a solemn homage to the soldiers who defended the nation during the October 7 attack and to the civilians who were killed. He held Hamas fully responsible for the murder of innocent women, men and children in the Gaza border region.

Netanyahu highlighted that, over the past three years, Israeli forces have eliminated about four thousand of Hamas' militants, leaving the organization considerably weakened. He described this as a "dice‑roll" that turned Israel into the most powerful state in the Middle East, with former adversaries now unable to match its capabilities.

Progress in resettling displaced residents along the Gaza frontier was presented as a key success story: roughly ninety percent of the original population has returned, and new construction is rapidly expanding in towns, kibbutzim and moshavim.

Facing the looming elections, the prime minister warned that Hamas might still attempt to disrupt the democratic process despite its reduced strength. He promised that Israel would neutralise any such attempt and deliver a "complete and powerful" response.