(New York Post) The approximately 130 Israelis still currently being held hostage by Hamas will never be freed, a militant leader said after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the terror group’s conditions to end the war Sunday.
“In exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all the murderers and rapists,” Netanyahu stated in a video address.
“And leaving Hamas intact. I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas,” he added.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, countered by saying Bibi’s refusal to end the military offensive in the territory “means there is no chance for the return of the [Israeli] captives,” that were abducted in the group’s Oct. 7 terror attack.
Under a deal brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt in late November, more than 100 of the estimated 240 hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack were freed in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Netanyahu has faced increasing pressure to secure the release the 136 hostages who remain in Gaza.
Relatives of the hostages demanded action during a protest outside his residence late Sunday.
“We need the government to now fix the problem that they have created and get these hostages home immediately, said Jon Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, according to Reuters.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum demanded that the prime minister “clearly state that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers and others kidnapped in the October debacle.
“We must advance the deal now. If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public,” the group said in a statement.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, took a stronger stance on the issue of Palestinian statehood than before.
“I will not compromise on full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River,” he said.
On Friday, President Joe Biden said he spoke with Netanyahu about possible solutions for creation of an independent Palestinian state and suggested that one path could involve a non-militarized government.
