Families of the Israeli captives held in Gaza said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Monday was full of lies, accusing the Israeli premier of “criminal negligence” regarding the issue of captives.
Netanyahu issued a rare public apology on Monday to the families of six captives, whose bodies were retrieved during the weekend, while stating that the Zionist entity would not “compromise” on maintaining its military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor.
“My heart and the heart of the nation is shattered into pieces. … I ask for your forgiveness that we did not succeed in bringing them home alive. We were close, but we did not succeed,” Netanyahu said in a press conference.
The Israeli PM said: “Israel must not be pressured into making concessions that would embolden Hamas.”
In this context, he rejected the assertion that the six captives were killed because his terms had prevented a deal.
The so-called Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group which represents the families of the Israeli captives, responded strongly to Netanyahu’s press conference, accusing him of delivering “a speech full of lies and spins.”
The forum lamented what they see as the prime minister’s failure to prioritize the return of the Israelis held in Gaza.
“The people of Israel, most of whom support the return of the hostages, will no longer lend a hand to this criminal negligence,” the forum said in a statement.
Later on Monday, Hamas’ Al-Qassam published a video showing one of the six Israeli captives in a previous message.
“Benjamin Netanyahu and the government of Israel, do what is necessary to release us. I’m suffering. We are all suffering. The bombing here never stops. W are afraid of our lives,” Eden Yerushalmi said in the video.
القسام تنشر .. صفقة تبادل .. حرية وحياة
ضغط عسكري .. موت وفشل#طوفان_الأقصى pic.twitter.com/fRQ2l8whaJ— قناة المنار (@TVManar1) September 2, 2024
Netanyahu’s Press Briefing Torpedoed Talks
Meanwhile, the CNN quoted a source familiar with the ongoing captive release-ceasefire deal talks as saying that Netanyahu had torpedoed negotiators’ efforts with his briefing.
According to CNN, negotiators had continued work on the ceasefire proposal even after the Israeli occupation forces recovered bodies of six Israeli captives from Gaza.
However, after Netanyahu doubled down on his demand for ‘Israel’ to remain in control of Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border during the press conference, an unnamed source familiar with the negotiations told CNN, “This guy torpedoed everything in one speech.”
Source: Israeli media
