At Nir Oz, Netanyahu cites his ‘deep commitment’ to returning the hostages and rehabilitating kibbutz

During his visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expresses his “deep commitment” to return the remaining hostages still held in Gaza and to help rebuild the community devastated in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror attack.

“You feel, deep in your soul, the magnitude of the pain, the depth of the sorrow, the trauma that struck an entire community — and still strikes it,” Netanyahu says in a video message shared by his office, alongside his wife, Sara Netanyahu.

The visit is Netanyahu’s first to Nir Oz since the massacre, despite repeated appeals from the kibbutz’s residents.

“I feel a deep commitment, first and foremost, to ensure the return of all our hostages, all of them. Twenty lives are still being held, and there are still the fallen. We will bring everyone back,” Netanyahu continues, referring to the 50 total hostages held by Hamas.

“But also, a deep commitment to act here to rehabilitate this kibbutz and bring life back to its people. We will cut through the bureaucracy — and rebuild,” he adds.

During the visit, Netanyahu met with Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker and a vocal critic of the prime minister.

Following the visit, kibbutz residents released a statement saying they expect the government to advance the return of the remaining hostages, among them the nine from Nir Oz, as well as the rebuilding of the community.