Israeli PM says Hamas rejects deal to return half of living hostages
Jerusalem, April 20 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas had rejected a proposal for the return of half of the living hostages in Gaza by demanding the end of the war and an Israeli military retreat from Gaza.
“If we capitulate to the dictates of Hamas now, all the great achievements of the war … will disappear,” said Netanyahu in a recorded video statement.
In the statement, the Israeli prime minister also dismissed the idea that Israel could deceive Hamas into freeing all the hostages and then resume the war, arguing that the international community would not accept such a move, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a new video showing an Israeli hostage held in Gaza.
The four-minute video features Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot speaking on a landline phone, seemingly making a call to his family to continue their efforts for his release.
“My health is not good. I am screaming for death. Please, do this for me,” he said at the end of the recording.
The Al-Qassam Brigades concluded the video with the message, “They will not return except in a capacity,” in reference to the hostages.
It remains unclear when the video was recorded.
Israeli media reported that the video’s release triggered demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beersheba, and Haifa, where thousands called on the government to secure the release of captives without delay.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military operation has been continuing in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its armored forces killed more than 40 Hamas militants in the Rafah area, southern Gaza Strip, over the weekend.
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