Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that freeing Israeli captives in Gaza was not his top priority, comments that angered the family members of hostages.
“We have many objectives, many goals in this war. We want to bring back all of our hostages,” Netanyahu said.
“That is a very important goal. In war, there is a supreme objective. And that supreme objective is victory over our enemies. And that is what we will achieve,” he added.
It’s been clear for a long time that freeing the hostages was not Netanyahu’s primary goal, especially since he broke a ceasefire agreement that would have released them all, but these comments appear to be the first time he said so publicly.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement that freeing the captives should be Israel’s main goal. “Prime minister, the return of the hostages is not ‘less’ important – it is the supreme goal that should guide the government of Israel,” the forum said. “The families of the hostages are concerned.”
Netanyahu’s comments came not long after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that freeing the hostages was not Israel’s “most important goal” and said the “Gaza problem” must be “eliminated.”
Hamas has repeatedly offered to free all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, but according to Israeli media, the Israeli government has a “longstanding rejection” of the proposal.
In recent months, Netanyahu has said that his long-term plans for Gaza include indefinite Israeli military occupation and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population, which he frames as “voluntary migration.”
