Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, together with his wife Sara, met for the second time with representatives of the families of the captives in Gaza at the Kirya in Tel Aviv.
Prime Minister Netanyahu promised the representatives that he would do everything possible to bring about the release of all of the captives and said that this was one of the goals of the war. His wife Sara embraced the families and expressed her support for them at this unbearable time for each one of them in particular and for the state as a whole.
Speaking to the families' representatives, Netanyahu said, "I must tell you before we go into a few more limited details, that not only is this effort unceasing, it is continuing and will do so vigorously. We will utilize and exhaust every possibility to bring them home."
"This is before and after the incursion, and the effort is to utilize our capabilities. It is an integral part of the goals for the operations as we have defined them. This is not mere lip service.
"An effort is being made. I am not certain if people understand the extent to which it is being conducted and to what scope, including directives to the forces on the ground and on a very extensive global and local scale, and this is going on all the time."
Netanyahu added that the key is "the degree of pressure. The greater the pressure, the greater the chances."Also participating in the meeting were Minister Miri Regev, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, Coordinator for the Captives and Missing Brig.-Gen. (Ret.) Gal Hirsch, Prime Minister's Office Director General Yossi Shelley, the Director of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, the Prime Minister's Adviser Nevo Katz and the Prime Minister's Adviser Tal Gilboa, whose nephew is among the captives.