Netanyahu Says Defeating Hamas Takes Priority Over Releasing Captives
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that defeating Hamas is more important than securing the release of captives held in Gaza, as Israel continues its assault and blockade on the enclave.
Marking Israel’s so-called ‘Independence Day’ at the annual Bibe Contest in occupied Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that “we have many goals, many goals in this war. We want to bring all our hostages home.”
“It’s a very important goal, but there is a superior goal. The supreme objective is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve,” he was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a representative body of Israeli captives held in Gaza, blasted Netanyahu’s comments, saying: “Prime Minister, returning the hostages is not ‘less important,’ it is the supreme goal that should guide the Israeli government.”
The group also said it was worried that Netanyahu was aligning himself with far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who himself said the freeing of captives was not the main goal of the war, noting that the comments are “in opposition to the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public who want the return of the hostages above all else”.
Netanyahu’s remarks came amid Israeli reports that he will meet with senior defence officials on Friday at noon for a situational assessment on the Gaza war.
During the meeting, Netanyahu is expected to greenlight plans – already approved by the defence minister and military chief of staff – to expand military operations in the enclave, according to Israel’s Army Radio.
