PM says conquering Gaza City will free hostages, dodges question on support for partial deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he believes the plan to take over the Gaza Strip will bring about the release of the 20 remaining living hostages in Gaza.

In response to a question at a press conference for local media on whether he would agree to a partial hostage release deal if Hamas agrees to one after the operation begins, Netanyahu does not answer directly, replying instead that he is “committed to…the release of all 20 of our hostages, and the defeat of Hamas is the decisive operation that I believe will achieve that.”

There are 50 hostages still in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Several times during this Hebrew press conference, the prime minister refers to the imperative to secure the release of the “20” hostages, rather than all 50.

Addressing his commitment to returning the hostages, Netanyahu says: “People ask why the war has taken so long — first of all, because we paused for the release of hostages.”

He adds that the newly approved operation aims to bring down Gaza City — Hamas’s “center of gravity” — in a decisive strategic hit to the terror group that contrasts with previous operations.

“We didn’t do this in a systematic way before; we saw Gaza, we went here and we went there. But as a goal — to topple Hamas, to topple its last stronghold, to bring down its center of gravity — that we did not do before. We are doing that now, and I am certain this will also bring about the release of all the hostages.”