Hostage Families Forum: Netanyahu is the ‘one obstacle’ to deal to freeing the captives

In response to a social media post by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinting that Israel’s strike in Qatar failed to kill Hamas’s leadership, and asserting that the Hamas terror chiefs in Qatar are the “main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum calls him the “one obstacle” to a ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

“The targeted operation in Qatar proved beyond any doubt that there is one obstacle to returning the 48 hostages and ending the war: Prime Minister Netanyahu. Every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it,” the statement says.

“The time has come to end the excuses designed to buy time so he can cling to power,” it adds. “This stalling has already cost us the lives of 42 hostages and threatens the lives of additional hostages who are barely surviving after nearly two years in captivity, as well as the recovery of those who have died.”

The statement by the organization, which represents relatives of most of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, follows a post on X by Netanyahu on Saturday night in which the premier wrote, “The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza. They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war. Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”

The reaction by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum came as thousands rallied across the country for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal. Hamas is holding 48 Israeli hostages in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are thought to be alive.