Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, has said that he was given assurances that the war on Gaza would continue and Israel would launch a “gradual takeover of the entire Gaza Strip”.

Smotrich said that Gaza was currently “ruined and disintegrated, uninhabitable” an that it would “remain that way”.

He added: “Don’t be impressed by the forced joy of our enemy. This is an animalistic society that sanctifies death. Very soon, we will erase their smile again and replace it with cries of grief and the wails of those who were left with nothing.”

Netanyahu said in a video address on Saturday that Israel would continue its war on Gaza in “new, forceful ways” if the second stage of the ceasefire agreement proved to be “futile”.

“President [Donald] Trump and President Biden have given full backing to Israel’s right to return to combat if Israel concludes that negotiations on Phase B are futile.”