Netanyahu: "Not everything is in our hands"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared additional details following his meetings with hostage families, both those of the living and the fallen, whom he invited to mark the conclusion of his historic visit. “This doesn’t end the matter,” he emphasized. “We are determined to bring everyone back. I told them that.”

Netanyahu revealed ongoing efforts to secure the release of half the living hostages and the fallen in exchange for a 60-day temporary ceasefire. “At the start of this ceasefire, we will enter negotiations for a permanent end to the war, a permanent ceasefire. To achieve this, it must be under the minimum conditions we’ve set: Hamas lays down its weapons, Gaza is demilitarized, and Hamas loses all governmental and military capabilities. These are our foundational terms.”

He added, “If this can be achieved through negotiation, so much the better. If not within 60 days, we will achieve it by other means, through the might of our heroic army.”

The same approach applies to Iran, Netanyahu noted, regarding the removal of its nuclear threat. “If this is achieved within 60 days of U.S.-Iran negotiations, excellent. If not, it will be accomplished another way.”

Addressing public and soldier queries, “Why is this taking so long?” Netanyahu acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the battlefield. “No army in the world has faced this. Thanks to our fighters’ bravery, the fallen’s sacrifice, and our tactics, we’ve dismantled most of Hamas’s military capabilities. But not all. thousands of armed fighters remain. We will act again, combining diplomacy and military force, and military force if diplomacy fails, to complete the mission.”

He highlighted overcoming U.S. embargoes, “Don’t enter Rafah,” “Don’t seize the Philadelphi Corridor”, challenges not easily surmounted. “We prevailed, and now we aim to finish the operation. Amid this, perhaps the most brilliant military campaign in our history, one the world marvels at, we continue advancing in Gaza, rescuing hostages, living and fallen, without relenting for a moment.”

Netanyahu dismissed calls to avoid resuming fighting post-ceasefire. “After the first ceasefire, we returned. After the second, we returned. They say, ‘Don’t return after a third ceasefire’, should I continue?” He asserted Israel’s resolve, strength, and commitment to all objectives. “If demilitarization and dismantling Hamas’s capabilities are achieved through negotiation, great. But they will be achieved, one way or another.”

On determining the order of released hostages, he said, “First, let them be freed. But until now, we’re dealing with a ruthless terrorist organization. We’d love to rescue everyone at once, all are humanitarian cases to us. We’re working in two phases, but the choice isn’t always ours. We’ll do everything to maximize this release optimally, though not all is in our hands.”