Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a strong response on Sunday evening to the recent hostage videos released by Hamas.
“Dear citizens of Israel, like you, I too was shocked yesterday. I saw the horrific videos of our precious sons, Rom and Evyatar. I called their families and embraced them on behalf of myself, my wife, and all of you,” Netanyahu began.
He continued: “You see them wasting away in a dungeon. But the Hamas monsters surrounding them - they are well-fed, with thick arms. They have everything they need to eat. They are starving our boys the way the Nazis starved the Jews. And when I see this, I understand exactly what Hamas wants. They don’t want a deal - they want to break us with these horror videos, with the false and grotesque propaganda they spread around the world."
"But we will not break. I am filled with even greater determination - to free our kidnapped sons, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will never again pose a threat to the State of Israel,” the Prime Minister declared.
Earlier, a senior Israeli official stated that Israel has come to understand that Hamas is not interested in a deal, and therefore the plan is to intensify military pressure in order to secure the hostages' release.
“We are in talks with the Americans. There is a growing understanding that Hamas does not want a deal, and therefore the Prime Minister is pushing for the hostages to be freed through military victory - combined with the entry of humanitarian aid into areas outside the combat zones and, as much as possible, outside Hamas's control,” the official said.
This evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with Julien Lerisso, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in the region, requesting his involvement in delivering urgent food and medical treatment to the hostages.
Netanyahu told Larison: “Hamas’s lie of starvation echoes around the world, while the real, systematic starvation is being inflicted on our hostages, who are suffering brutal physical and psychological abuse. The world cannot stand idly by in the face of these shocking images, reminiscent of Nazi crimes.”
He urged the international community to denounce the terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad and to cease all direct and indirect support for them, stressing that their actions violate international law and the Geneva Convention.