Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed never to “capitulate” to Hamas, after the terror group this week rejected another temporary truce that would have brought half of the living hostages home.
“As your prime minister, I will not capitulate to the murderers who committed the worst massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu said in a recorded message aired on Saturday.
The terror group is demanding it holds onto power amid a permanent end to the war and Israeli withdrawal, as well as “vast sums of money” to rehabilitate Gaza, which Netanyahu said would only help enable future attacks on Israel.
“Ending the war on those terms would send the message to all of Israel’s enemies that by kidnapping Israelis, the State of Israel can be brought to its knees,” Netanyahu continued.
The prime minister vowed not to end the “war of rebirth” until Hamas was destroyed and no longer posed a threat to Israel — and all of the hostages were returned.
Hamas released its latest propaganda video Saturday showing Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot making a mock phone call to his family urging them to keep fighting for his release, according to reports.
Netanyahu doubled down on the use of military and diplomatic pressure as a means to get the 59 hostages — only 24 of whom are believed to be alive — home, a tactic that has come under fire in Israel.
HIs comments came as an Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded, in a Hamas attack in the northern Gaza Strip earlier Saturday. On Friday, Israeli airstrikes hit around 40 targets across the Gaza Strip, the military said.
With Post wires
