PM reportedly brands today’s strike a ‘disgraceful’ show of support for Sinwar; calls staying on Philadelphi Corridor an ‘existential’ need
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brands today’s strike by the Histadrut a disgraceful show of support for Hamas and its leader Yahya Sinwar, according to leaked quotes from the weekly cabinet meeting.
The strike is “a disgrace. This is telling Sinwar: You killed six; here we are, supporting you,” Netanyahu tells ministers, in reference to the six hostages murdered by their Hamas captors, the Ynet news site reports.
The strike, which began this morning, was halted by court order at 2:30 pm.
Netanyahu is also quoted telling ministers, “We must remain on the Philadelphi Corridor; it’s essential to Israeli security.” The prime minister’s insistence on not withdrawing from the Gaza-Egypt border corridor in the first, 42-day phase of a hostage-ceasefire deal, in order to prevent Hamas smuggling in arms, is widely reported to be a key obstacle to a deal.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu calls the Philadelphi Corridor “Hamas’s oxygen supply. I won’t let them rearm and massacre us again. This isn’t merely a diplomatic issue; it’s a strategic, existential issue for the State of Israel.”
“If we withdraw, we won’t [be able to] return there — not for 42 days and not for 42 years,” he reportedly says.
Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated nationwide last night to urge a deal and condemn Netanyahu’s handling of the negotiations, with anger and anguish heightened by Hamas’s killing of the six hostages shortly before the IDF found their bodies. Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David, addressing protesters in Tel Aviv last night, accused Netanyahu of “abandoning” the hostages.
“We will definitely make Hamas pay for the murder of the hostages,” Netanyahu reportedly told ministers. To date, he reportedly said, the main focus of Israel’s battle with Hamas “has been military. Now, the main focus will be depriving Hamas of its governance capacity.”
“There will be changes in the distribution of food and humanitarian aid,” he reportedly added, apparently indicating a heightened effort to prevent Hamas from commandeering such supplies.
