Opposition leader Yair Lapid said during the weekly Yesh Atid faction meeting today (Monday) that he intends to support the government in any decision that will bring the hostages held by Hamas back home.
"I conveyed a message to the government, by virtue of my position as the head of the opposition, that we will fully support every decision and every step and every price that will lead to the return of the abductees home. At the same time, we need to take painful steps to make sure they return home," Lapid stated.
He also defined the goals of the war and stated that all of Hamas' top leaders - including those outside Gaza - must be eliminated. "The political echelon defined the goal of the war as the elimination of Hamas' military infrastructure. I agree, of course, but to that must be added the elimination of the Hamas leadership. The State of Israel must not stop and must not let go until we kill six people: Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Saleh al-Arouri, Khaled Mashal, and Marwan Issa. All six must die. Until they die, Israel will not have avenged the murders of Be'eri and Sderot, Kafr Aza, and Ofakim. Until they die, the Middle East will not understand that we are not messing around."
"The State of Israel needs to get them, wherever they are. Whether it's in Gaza or in other countries, it doesn't matter. We need to get them and eliminate them. It's part of the campaign. It's part of restoring deterrence," Lapid said.
In response to Israel National News - Arutz Sheva's question on the price Israel must be prepared to pay to secure the release of the hostages, Lapid said that "we can't go into details like that when there is a government with teams managing the event and it is not right for me to stand in front of cameras and go into the specifics of the price."