Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare apology to the families of the six executed hostages but insisted that he would not cave on the issue of retaining an IDF force in the Philadelphi Corridor.
“My heart and the heart of the nation is shattered into pieces,” Netanyahu said in a special press conference in which he defended that position.
He spoke as the death of the hostages shot at close range by their captors over the week, rocked the nation, with the major union holding a national strike demanding a deal.
To the families of the six hostages, he said, “I ask your apology that we did not succeed in bringing them home alive.”
Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden blamed both Netanyahu and Hamas for the absence of a deal.He also dismissed that criticism noting that just five days ago senior US officials were talking about Israel’s flexibility and determination to reach a deal.
Philadelphi is non-negotiable
“I want to ask you something, what has changed in the last five days? What has changed?
“One thing, these murderers executed six of our hostages. They shot them in the back of the head. That’s what’s changed, and now after this, we’re asked to show seriousness. We’re asked to make concessions. What message does this send Hamas?
“It says, kill more hostages. Murder more hostages. You’ll get more concessions. The pressure internationally should be directed at these killers, at Hamas, not at Israel,” Netanyahu said.
“We say yes, they say no all the time, but they also murdered these people, and now we need maximum pressure on Hamas.
“I don’t believe that either President Biden or anyone serious about achieving peace and achieving the release [of the hostages] would seriously ask Israel. Israel to make these concessions we’ve already made. Hamas has to make the concessions.”
Netanyahu spent the bulk of his press conference defending his decision to hold fast to the Philadelphi, emphasizing that this saves the potential to return the remaining 101 hostages and doesn’t prevent it.
“The moment Hamas understands this, we will have a deal,” he said.
Security officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have said that Israel can afford to withdraw temporarily from the Philadelphi Corridor in order to allow for the fulfillment of the first phase of the hostage deal. Issues such as the future of the Philadelphi Corridor and a permanent ceasefire would be negotiated concurrently.
Netanyahu pushed back, stressing that once Israel leave it will never be allowed to return, explaining that in the end, this wasn’t purely a military issue, but also a diplomatic one that had to take into account broader strategy. “This isn’t a security issue, this is about a national geo-political strategy,” he said.
Israel “will not give up on existential issues, but we have been flexible on many other things” that are elements of the deal, he said.
Netanyahu also spoke about his push to maximize the return of live hostages in the first phase of the deal, explaining that as of now 23 captives would be freed in this phase which would last for 42 days.