From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 30, 2025
PM fetes return of Israeli hostages, fumes over Khan Younis chaos
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes home the three Israeli hostages freed earlier today, and reiterates his outrage at the angry mob which engulfed them during a handover in Khan Younis.
“Agam, Arbel, Gadi — welcome home!” he says in a video message. “The entire nation of Israel is embracing you, as are my wife Sara and I.”
Netanyahu says their release was secured “due to our heroic soldiers, and also through the firm and determined stance we led throughout the negotiations.”
The prime minister adds that “we will not accept violations of the deal. During the release of our hostages today, we all saw horrifying sites. We made it clear to the mediators that we won’t accept any danger to our hostages. I repeat: Whoever dares to harm our hostages — will pay.”
Netanyahu does not make any mention of the five Thai hostages who were also freed from captivity today — outside the framework of the ceasefire deal.
The Times of Israel Community.