Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today (Tuesday) during a meeting with families of hostages and bereaved families, representatives from the “Hope” and “Heroism” forums, that “it is not certain there will be a deal, and even if there is one, it will be one that protects the interests, which I keep reiterating: safeguarding Israel’s strategic assets.” Netanyahu also stated that he made this point clear to Blinken during their meeting.
Netanyahu to the families: “Israel will not exit from the Philadelphi Route or the Netzarim Corridor under any circumstances; a deal will only be made under these conditions.”
“We will continue until Hamas is destroyed and we achieve the war objectives.” The Heroism and Hope forums claimed that “if there is a deal, it will be one that protects the interests, which I keep reiterating: safeguarding Israel’s strategic assets.”
After the meeting, Netanyahu stated: “The first thing – to eliminate Hamas and achieve victory.” He added, “We are getting closer to this step by step. If three months ago, before we entered Rafah, they said there was nothing to be done – there is much to be done. In the meantime, we have thwarted Deif and other commanders. We have taken control of the Philadelphi Route, we have taken the Rafah Crossing. We will dismantle Hamas’s rule with all our might and destroy its military capability.”
“At the same time, we are making an effort to bring back the hostages,” he continued – and emphasized: “Under conditions that will allow us to maximize the number of hostages released in the first stage of the deal. I am stating this clearly – this is a goal I have set. But another thing is to preserve our strategic security assets against significant pressures both from within and outside, and we are standing firm on that.”
Mixed Reactions: “Happy with his firm stance against the pressures” and also – “Concerned there won’t be a second stage.”
From representatives of the Heroism Forum, which includes bereaved families who joined this circle during the war, the following was conveyed after the meeting with the Prime Minister: “We understood from the Prime Minister that if there is a ceasefire – it will be time-limited,” they said. “He will not give up the Philadelphi Route, and there was no talk about reducing forces from the Gaza Strip. According to the Prime Minister, Israel is standing firm on all its demands; the Prime Minister is not yielding to any pressures from the U.S.”
Zvika Mor, father of the hostage Eitan Mor and an activist in the Hope Forum, which includes families of hostages in Gaza, said after the meeting: “For 10 months, it was claimed that only military pressure would bring back the hostages. We heard from the Prime Minister that the only way to return the hostages and even discuss a deal is due to the ongoing military pressure. We are pleased that the Prime Minister stood firm.”
Shimon Or, father of the hostage Avinatan Or and partner of Noa Argamani, said: “The Prime Minister spoke about a firm stance on the Philadelphi Route. I left this meeting very concerned because the mere negotiation with Hamas strengthens them as a governing force in Gaza. We demanded that this negotiation be halted; we are afraid that the transition from the first stage to the second stage will not occur.”
Ditsa Or, mother of Avinatan, said: “I left feeling worried because if I take the most optimistic scenario from the Prime Minister, where a deal is signed for a maximum of 30 hostages, half of whom are not alive, it will take six weeks after which further negotiations will begin.”
Joshua Shani, Chairman of the Hope Forum, told Netanyahu: “You met with Blinken for three hours; we are very concerned about what happened there.” According to the families, Netanyahu responded: “Maybe I convinced Blinken? I informed Blinken – under no circumstances will Israel retreat from the strategic assets gained by the war.”
Disappointment at the Hostage Families Headquarters following Netanyahu’s Statements
In response to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statements that “Israel will not exit from the Philadelphi Route or the Netzarim Corridor under any circumstances” and that “I am not sure there will be a deal,” the Hostage Families Headquarters issued the following statement: “The Prime Minister’s remarks effectively torpedo any deal for the hostages. Netanyahu has not internalized that abandoning the hostages leads to their murder in captivity. They are not only suffering, they are also dying. There is no hope or heroism in standing ‘firm’ that will lead to the continued deaths of all the hostages. The Israeli government abandoned the hostages on October 7 and is now definitively abandoning them.”
