Israeli prime minister backs calls by his defense chief to seize territory in the Gaza Strip should Hamas fail to release remaining 59 hostages.
By World Israel News Staff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize territory in the Gaza Strip as a punitive step against Hamas, should the terror group continue to refuse to release the remaining 59 hostages.
During a speech in the Knesset plenum on Wednesday afternoon, Netanyahu defended the renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip, arguing that the IDF’s newest campaign in the coastal enclave, launched last week, is degrading Hamas’ military capacity and fueling popular dissent within the Strip against Hamas rule.
“More and more Gazans understand that Hamas is bringing them destruction and defeat,” Netanyahu said.
“All of this shows that our policy is working. We are determined to achieve all the objectives of the war: to eliminate Hamas’ military and political capabilities, to bring our hostages home, to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to the State of Israel, and to return our residents to their homes safely.”
The prime minister added that should Hamas maintain its recalcitrance, refusing calls to negotiate additional hostage releases on the basis of the previous six-week ceasefire, Israel will seize territory from the terror group.
“We are changing the face of the Middle East. The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release our hostages, the stronger the pressure we will apply – including the seizure of territory.”
During Netanyahu’s address, demonstrators, including relatives of victims of the October 7, 2023 invasion, gathered in the Knesset’s visitors gallery and held up signs protesting Netanyahu’s policies.
A number of bereaved relatives of Israelis killed on October 7 held up photographs of their loved ones, waving them during Netanyahu’s speech.