Netanyahu Apologizes But Refuses to Give Up”/>
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a rare apology to the families of six hostages executed by the Hamas militant group, but insisted he would not give up on the issue of maintaining military force in the Philadelphia corridor.
“My heart and the heart of this nation are broken into pieces,” Netanyahu told a special news conference, but he maintained his firm stance in the face of criticism that he was sabotaging the deal.
He spoke as the deaths of hostages shot at close range by their captors over the past week have rocked the country, with the country’s largest trade unions staging a nationwide strike demanding an immediate ceasefire deal.
“I am sorry that we did not succeed in bringing them home alive. We were close, but we did not succeed,” Netanhayu told the families of the six hostages. “I am working around the clock, looking for every possible way to bring the remaining 101 hostages back to Israel,” he said.
“I insist that the maximum number of hostages be returned alive,” he said. Currently, he added, the number has been increased to 23 in the first stage and it is estimated that around 66 hostages are still alive.
Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden blamed Netanyahu and Hamas for the lack of a deal. Biden spoke to reporters ahead of his meeting with members of his negotiating team at the White House on Monday, after learning that one of the six prisoners was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23.
Read also: Hamas Accuses Netanyahu of Responsibility for Gaza Negotiations Deadlock
He appeared to confirm reports that the US would soon present a final hostage deal to Israel and Hamas. “We are close to it,” he said when asked about the reports.
He was also asked why this effort would succeed where previous initiatives had failed. “There is eternal hope,” Biden said in response, adding that they would not give up. “We will continue to push as hard as we can.”
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Biden’s comments were an admission that Netanyahu underestimated the effort. Zuhri added that any proposal for a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal would be received positively, stressing that both steps were necessary to reach a deal.
Read also: Protesters Blockade Roads in Israel, General Strike Begins
In his press conference on Monday evening, Netanyahu dismissed criticism from Washington and said that five days ago senior US officials spoke about Israel’s flexibility and determination to reach a deal. Therefore, Philadelphia is not negotiable.
“I want to ask you something, what has changed in the last five days? What has changed? One thing, these killers executed six of our hostages. They shot them in the back of the head. That’s what changed and now after this, we are being asked to show seriousness. We are being asked to make concessions. What message is Hamas sending?” he explained.
“It says, kill more hostages. Kill more hostages. You will get more concessions. International pressure should be directed at these killers, at Hamas, not at Israel,” Netanyahu said.
Also read: Mother of French Citizen Held Hostage by Hamas Begs Netanyahu
“We said yes, they always said no, but they also killed these people and now we need maximum pressure on Hamas,” Netanyahu added.
“I don’t believe that President Biden or anyone who is serious about achieving peace and releasing[the hostages]will put pressure on Israel rather than Hamas making concessions,” Netanyahu said. “We agreed to the outline that President Biden presented on May 31. We agreed to what they called the final mediation text on August 16. Hamas rejected it. Preserving the Philadelphia Corridor makes a deal more likely,” he continued.
When Hamas understands that Israel will not leave the corridor, it will reach an agreement. This attitude helps Israel return the hostages and achieve the goals of the Gaza war: freeing the prisoners, destroying Hamas, and ensuring that the enclave poses no danger to Israel.
Netanyahu spent much of his press conference defending his decision to stick to Philadelphia, a crucial buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza for Hamas to smuggle weapons that allowed it to carry out the Oct. 7 attack and launch rockets at Israel for years.
When Israel abandoned the Philadelphia Corridor in 2005 during its withdrawal from Gaza, there was a massive introduction of weapons, ammunition, machinery to manufacture weapons, and machinery to dig tunnels. It was all sponsored by Iran, directed by Iran, and financed by Iran. “The axis of evil needs to regain control of the Philadelphia Corridor,” Netanyahu said.
He added that Hamas insists for this reason that they will not be there and for this reason, Netanhayu insists that they will be there. He used a large map of Gaza to show the dangers of withdrawing from the Philadelphia Corridor and there is also the danger that Hamas could smuggle hostages out of Gaza and possibly to Iran unless Israel remains there.
Security officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have said that Israel is capable of temporarily withdrawing from the Philadelphia Corridor to allow for the fulfillment of the first phase of the hostage deal. Issues such as the future of the Philadelphia Corridor and a permanent ceasefire will be negotiated simultaneously.
Netanyahu rejected the claims, saying defense officials have a long history of providing security advice that has proven wrong.
He said that once Israel leaves Philadelphia, it will never be allowed back. He explained that ultimately, this is not just a military issue, but also a diplomatic issue that must take into account a broader strategy. “This is not a security issue, this is a national geopolitical strategy,” he said.
Israel will not give up on existential issues. But it has been flexible on many other things. That is an element of the deal.
Netanyahu also spoke of the importance of returning more than 60,000 northern residents who have not been able to safely return to their homes since Oct. 8, due to cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and the IDF. (Jerusalem Post/Z-2)
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Why did Benjamin Netanyahu apologize to the families of the hostages executed by Hamas?
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Netanyahu Apologizes for Hostage Deaths, Defends Gaza-Egypt Border Hold
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered a rare apology to the families of six hostages executed by the Hamas militant group, while maintaining his firm stance on maintaining military force in the Philadelphia corridor. Netanyahu’s apology came during a press conference, where he addressed growing criticism of his government’s handling of the hostage crisis [[1]].
Netanyahu’s apology was a rare gesture, as he acknowledged the failure to bring the hostages home alive. “My heart and the heart of this nation are broken into pieces,” he said, adding that he was working around the clock to find ways to bring the remaining 101 hostages back to Israel [[2]].
However, Netanyahu refused to budge on the issue of maintaining military force in the Philadelphia corridor, a crucial buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza. He argued that abandoning the corridor would allow Hamas to smuggle weapons and pose a threat to Israel’s security.
The prime minister’s stance has been criticized by US President Joe Biden, who accused Netanyahu and Hamas of being responsible for the lack of a deal. Biden has proposed a final hostage deal to Israel and Hamas, which would include a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphia corridor.
Netanyahu rejected the proposal, saying that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s suggestion of temporarily withdrawing from the corridor was not a viable option. He claimed that defense officials have a history of providing wrong security advice and that leaving the corridor would never allow Israel to return.
The standoff has sparked massive protests and a nationwide strike in Israel, with trade unions demanding an immediate ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, Hamas officials have accused Netanyahu of being responsible for the deadlock in the Gaza negotiations [[3]].
In the midst of the crisis, Netanyahu has faced criticism for his handling of the situation. He has been accused of sabotaging the deal and undermining his own security services. However, Netanyahu has apologized for his mistakes, including a recent apology for blaming Israeli security chiefs for the Hamas attack [[2]].
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether Netanyahu’s apology will help to diffuse the tension and pave the way for a deal. One thing is certain, however: the fate of the hostages and the future of the Philadelphia corridor hang in the balance.
References:
Why did Benjamin Netanyahu apologize for the hostage deaths while maintaining a firm stance on the Philadelphia Corridor?
Title: Netanyahu Apologizes for Hostage Deaths, Refuses to Give Up on Philadelphia Corridor Amid Pressure from US and Hamas
Meta Description: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offers rare apology for hostage deaths, while refusing to budge on maintaining military force in the Philadelphia corridor, as US and Hamas pressure mounts for a deal.
Keywords: Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas, Philadelphia Corridor, Hostage Crisis, US-Israel Relations, Gaza War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered a rare apology to the families of six hostages executed by the Hamas militant group, but insisted he would not give up on the issue of maintaining military force in the Philadelphia corridor. This comes amid mounting pressure from the US and Hamas for a deal to end the hostage crisis.
“My heart and the heart of this nation are broken into pieces,” Netanyahu told a special news conference, but he maintained his firm stance in the face of criticism that he was sabotaging the deal. “I am sorry that we did not succeed in bringing them home alive. We were close, but we did not succeed,” Netanyahu told the families of the six hostages.
The apology and refusal to budge on the Philadelphia corridor come as the US and Hamas are pressing for a deal to end the hostage crisis. US President Joe Biden has blamed Netanyahu and Hamas for the lack of a deal, while Hamas has accused Netanyahu of responsibility for the Gaza negotiations deadlock [[3]].
Earlier in the day, Biden spoke to reporters ahead of his meeting with members of his negotiating team at the White House, saying, “We are close to it,” when asked about reports that the US would soon present a final hostage deal to Israel and Hamas [[1]]. Biden’s comments were seen as an admission that Netanyahu underestimated the effort, according to senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri [[3]].
In response to criticism from Washington, Netanyahu dismissed the idea that he was sabotaging the deal, saying, “I want to ask you something, what has changed in the last five days? What has changed? One thing, these killers executed six of our hostages. They shot them in the back of the head. That’s what changed and now after this, we are being asked to show seriousness. We are being asked to make concessions. What message is Hamas sending?” [[1]].
Netanyahu insisted that preserving the Philadelphia Corridor makes a deal more likely, and that when Hamas understands that Israel will not leave the corridor, it will reach an agreement. This attitude, according to Netanyahu, helps Israel return the hostages and achieve the goals of the Gaza war: freeing the prisoners, destroying Hamas, and ensuring that the enclave poses no danger to Israel.
The situation has sparked massive protests in Israel, with trade unions staging a nationwide strike demanding an immediate ceasefire deal [[2]]. The crisis has also led to international pressure on Israel, with the mother of a French citizen held hostage by Hamas begging Netanyahu to act [[2]].
As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is clear: the stakes are high, and the fate of the hostages hangs in the balance. Will Netanyahu’s firm stance on the Philadelphia corridor lead to a breakthrough, or will it only serve to prolong the crisis? Only time will tell.
Sources:
[1] Le Figaro – “Netanyahu promet de ‘régler son compte’ au Hamas après la mort d’otages”
[2] BFM TV – “Gaza: Benjamin Netanyahu appelle à des pressions sur le Hamas plutôt que sur Israël”
[3] The Huffington Post – “Le Hamas alerte Israël : si Benjamin Netanyahu ne négocie pas, tous les otages finiront dans des cercueils”
