Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the IDF Officers Course Graduation Ceremony at IDF Training Base One on Thursday.
The Prime Minister said in his remarks to the graduating officers, "One hundred and twenty of our brothers and sisters, who are being held hostage by Hamas, are constantly before our eyes. We have a moral obligation to bring them all back to Israel – the living and the deceased. This is a sacred mission."
He noted, "As of now, we have returned 135 hostages – thanks to a combination of military pressure and diplomatic pressure, and standing steadfast on our principles. Without the military pressure, we would not have the necessary intelligence for the operations we have carried out. Without the military pressure and standing steadfast on our demands, we could not have reached the first release – and only with this pressure and this stand will we reach the second release."
"Ambiguity and hesitation did not bring about our achievements up to now, neither will they bring future achievements. Only clarity and determination will lead to the release of our hostages and the achieving of the rest of our objectives in the war," he said.
Netanyahu emphasized that he is "committed to the outline for the release of our hostages; however, the Hamas murderers are still continuing to cling to demands that contravene the outline and endanger the security of Israel."
"As the Prime Minister of Israel, and out of national responsibility, I am unwilling to agree to these demands. Therefore, I strongly uphold four principles which are essential for the security of Israel, which are in the outline:
"1. Any outline must allow Israel to return to fighting until all the objectives of the war are achieved.
"2. We will not allow the smuggling of weapons to Hamas from Egypt, first and foremost through Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing.
"3. We will not allow the return of armed terrorists and the entry of war materiel to the northern Gaza Strip. Only this way will the achievements that we have made by an unyielding fight and with the precious blood of our soldiers be preserved.
"4. I insist that the maximum number of living hostages be released in the first stage of the outline.
"These are our ironclad principles. I am certain that if we insist on them we will achieve a deal that will both free our hostages and ensure that we will continue to fight until all of our objectives have been achieved. The way to free our hostages is by continuing to pressure Hamas with full force," Netanyahu said.