Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for not being able to bring the hostages home alive.
He said this at a press conference on Monday evening.
– We were very close, but failed. Hamas will pay dearly for this, he says.
Six people held hostage by Hamas have been killed. During Monday, Israel stood still when large parts of the country have been characterized by strikes and massive protests.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a press conference on Monday evening that the most important thing is that the country stands united.
– We face an enemy who wants to exterminate each one of us, he says.
Netanyahu: Sorry
At the press conference, the Prime Minister apologizes for not having managed to get the hostages home alive.
– We were very close, but failed. Hamas will pay dearly for this.
Netanyahu says he has spoken with several family members of the slain hostages.
– We cannot let it happen again, we will do whatever it takes until they come home, Ella Ben-Ami, whose father is being held by Hamas in Gaza, told Haaretz newspaper.
“Never let go of control”
Despite the recent days of large demonstrations where hundreds of thousands of Israelis are now demanding that Netanyahu make a deal with Hamas to bring home the hostages, he was adamant that the war will not be over until Hamas is defeated.
– Netanyahu said that he will never relinquish control over the strip of land between Gaza and Egypt, the so-called Philadelphia Corridor, says TV4’s foreign correspondent Elisabet Frerot Södergren.
And continues:
– For Hamas, the corridor is the only lifeline, if Israel has control even there, then Gaza is completely surrounded by Israeli forces, says Elisabet Frerot Södergren.
How can the work on the ceasefire be affected by his statements?
– It shows how far apart the parties are in the negotiations, it will be very difficult to reach an agreement on a ceasefire, she says.