Netanyahu continues to live in fantasy land
Conditions ripe for captives’ return: Netanyahu
Speaking about the prospect of reaching a ceasefire deal with Hamas under which Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, Netanyahu has said that “the conditions for their return are ripe”.
He made the comments during a meeting with representatives of the families of Israeli captives in Washington, where he is on an official visit, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
“The conditions are ripe for the simple reason that we are putting very strong pressure on Hamas and we are seeing a certain change and I think that change will increase as we get closer to doing that,” Netanyahu claimed.
There was no indication from Hamas that any negotiations are under way or that the group is willing to drop its demand of a permanent ceasefire for the captives’ release.
Netanyahu still thinks killing and starving more civilians will dismantle Hamas. The less there is left to lose, the more determined the resistance gets...
Netanyahu tries to justify not prioritising captives’ lives over aim to destroy Hamas
A statement released by the Israeli prime minister’s office today says Netanyahu has told families of Israeli captives held in Gaza that he is “not prepared in any way to give in on the victory over Hamas”.
The remarks came last night in the US during his meeting with the families who accompany him in Washington, DC, the release said.
He was quoted as saying the move necessary for the safe return of the captives would put Israel “in danger in the face of Iran’s entire axis of evil”.
“The decisions that we make are fateful decisions for the future of the State of Israel and the Zionist enterprise,” he said, according to his office.
“Unfortunately, [the release of captives] will not take place all at once; there will be stages. However, I believe that we can advance the deal and leave us in possession of the leverage to bring about the release of the others.”
He did not elaborate on how was that possible when Hamas still insisted on a full ceasefire for the release of any captives.
Hamas official criticises Netanyahu’s stance on Israeli captives
A senior Hamas official says there is nothing new in Netanyahu’s stance over the Israeli captives in Gaza after the Israeli prime minister told their families that a deal to secure their release could be near.
Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Netanyahu’s remarks made at a meeting in Washington, DC, were aimed at calming the families and nothing more.
“Netanyahu is still stalling, and he is sending delegations only to calm down the anger of families of Israeli captives,” he said.
