Defeating Hamas is more important than freeing Gaza hostages, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that defeating Hamas is more important than freeing the remaining 59 hostages in Gaza, angering the captives’ families.

Speaking at the annual Independence Day Bible Contest in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Israel was committed to saving the hostages after 573 days in Hamas captivity, but claimed that there was something more important for Israel to complete.

“That is a very important goal,” he said of freeing the hostages before adding,” the war has a supreme objective. And that supreme objective is victory over our enemies. And that is what we will achieve.”

The speech marked the first time Netanyahu has explicitly described the hostages’ safety as a secondary goal of the war, which he has been long accused of by the captives’ families.

“Prime minister, the return of the hostages is not ‘less’ important – it is the supreme goal that should guide the government of Israel,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “The families of the hostages are concerned.”

The forum said the controversial remarks fall out of line with what the “majority of the Israeli public” wants, accusing Netanyahu of emboldening Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Smotrich garnered backlash last week when he insisted that the hostages come second to defeating Hamas.

“We need to tell the truth – bringing back the hostages is not the most important goal,” Smotrich said. “It is, of course, a very, very, very, very important goal, but anyone who wants to destroy Hamas and eliminate the possibility of another Oct. 7 must understand that in Gaza, there can’t be a situation where Hamas remains present and intact.”

Protesters in Israel continue to criticize Netanyahu’s decision to end the cease-fire deal with Hamas, leading the Jewish state to return to war with fears growing over the fate of the hostages.

While Israel believes that only 24 of the 59 hostages are still alive — including American Edan Alexander, of New Jersey — the figure came into doubt when Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, was overheard on a hot mic saying that “fewer” than 24 hostages are still alive.

The remark spurred further backlash against Netanyahu as the captives’ families demanded to know the truth of what their government knows, and why the prime minister’s wife would have access to such sensitive information while they knew little about their loved ones’ statuses.

“You sowed indescribable panic in the hearts of the families of the hostages – families already living in agonizing uncertainty,” the forum said. “If there is intelligence or new information regarding the condition of our loved ones, we demand full disclosure.” 

As the well-being of the hostages and their importance comes into question, there have been little developments made at the negotiating table.

Hamas has repeatedly refused to release any more hostages until Israel commits to a permanent cease-fire deal, which Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected, insisting that no deal can be reached if it includes Hamas’ continued existence.