At the weekly government meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his country’s support for the hostage release deal presented by US President Joe Biden on May 31.
“Today everyone knows a simple truth,” Netanyahu said, “Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of our hostages.” This follows the release of a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office the day before, reaffirming Israel’s commitment to the terms of the May agreement, in response to reports that the United States would modify certain conditions to try to reach an agreement.
Netanyahu stressed that a combination of political and military pressure – especially military – will make it possible to bring back the 120 hostages still held in Gaza. He also reaffirmed Israel’s determination to achieve all of its war objectives: “To all those who doubt the achievement of these objectives, I repeat: there is no substitute for victory. Our fighters are not not fallen in vain. We will not end the war until we have achieved all our objectives.
The Prime Minister is due to visit the Southern Command headquarters this Sunday to carry out an assessment of the situation of the war in Gaza.
