Prime Minister Netanyahu: ‘Capitulating to Hamas’s demands would be a terrible defeat’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday commented on the ongoing negations for the release of Israelis who have been held hostage in Gaza for the past seven months, calling media reports about them provocative and the cause of “needless suffering to the families of the hostages that are enduring a nightmare.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu asserted that the demands made by the Hamas terrorist organization for their release would be a defeat for Israel.
“Contrary to these reports,” he said, “it is Hamas that is holding up the release of our hostages. We are working in every possible way to free the hostages; this is our top priority.’
“Israel has been, and still is, ready for a pause in the fighting in order to free our hostages,” added Netanyahu. “This is what we did when we freed 124 hostages, and resumed fighting – and this is what we are ready to do today as well.”
The Prime Minister went on to say that his government gave Israel’s negotiating team a “very broad mandate to move forward on the release,” and that it did so out of a “deep commitment to the hostages, and in order to end the terrible suffering of the families.”
He added that Israel has shown a willingness for “significant movement,” a position which was described by US Secretary of State Blinken and others as ‘very generous.’”
However, in spite of this Hamas hold to its extreme positions, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and leaving Hamas intact.
“The State of Israel is not willing to accept this,” declared Netanyahu. “We are not willing to accept a situation in which Hamas’s battalions leave their tunnels, reestablish control over the Strip, rebuild their military industries and go back to threatening the citizens of Israel in the communities of the Western Negev, the cities of the south and throughout the country.”
This would lead to another October 7 massacre, he said.
“Capitulating to Hamas’s demands would be a terrible defeat for the State of Israel,” declared Netanyahu. “It would be a great victory for Hamas, Iran and the entire axis of evil. It would exhibit terrible weakness to our friends, and to our enemies.”
Such weakness, he concluded, would only “bring closer the next war and it would push off the next peace agreement because alliances are not made with the weak and the defeated. Therefore, Israel will not agree to Hamas’s demands, which would mean surrender; it will continue fighting until all of its objectives are achieved.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday commented on the ongoing negations for the release of Israelis who have been held hostage in Gaza for the past seven months, calling media reports about them provocative and the cause of “needless suffering to the families of the hostages that are enduring a nightmare.” Netanyahu asserted that the demands made by the Hamas terrorist organization for their release would be a defeat for Israel.
“Contrary to these reports,” he said, “it is Hamas that is holding up the release of our hostages. We are working in every possible way to free the hostages; this is our top priority.’
“Israel has been, and still is, ready for a pause in the fighting in order to free our hostages,” added Netanyahu. “This is what we did when we freed 124 hostages, and resumed fighting – and this is what we are ready to do today as well.”
The Prime Minister went on to say that his government gave Israel’s negotiating team a “very broad mandate to move forward on the release,” and that it did so out of a “deep commitment to the hostages, and in order to end the terrible suffering of the families.”
He added that Israel has shown a willingness for “significant movement,” a position which was described by US Secretary of State Blinken and others as ‘very generous.’”
However, in spite of this Hamas hold to its extreme positions, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and leaving Hamas intact.
“The State of Israel is not willing to accept this,” declared Netanyahu. “We are not willing to accept a situation in which Hamas’s battalions leave their tunnels, reestablish control over the Strip, rebuild their military industries and go back to threatening the citizens of Israel in the communities of the Western Negev, the cities of the south and throughout the country.”
This would lead to another October 7 massacre, he said.
“Capitulating to Hamas’s demands would be a terrible defeat for the State of Israel,” declared Netanyahu. “It would be a great victory for Hamas, Iran and the entire axis of evil. It would exhibit terrible weakness to our friends, and to our enemies.”
Such weakness, he concluded, would only “bring closer the next war and it would push off the next peace agreement because alliances are not made with the weak and the defeated. Therefore, Israel will not agree to Hamas’s demands, which would mean surrender; it will continue fighting until all of its objectives are achieved.”
